Like a Strike of Lightning
by IsraBrine
Summary: My first Fanfic. Our hero Rainbow Storm has just received his Pilot Training and is ready to fight. With his best friends Rebel Vanguard and Volt Photon, along with Pilots Ryan Jackson and Felix Waterschilick, he is ready for some Epic adventures.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello Everyone! As it says in the summary, this is my first FanFiction Story! I hope you all enjoy, and I will be sure to read every review that comes my way and I will do my best to reply to as many as I can. If there is ever any errors in the lore of Titanfall or even any spelling errors that I didn't catch, Please let me know! Once again, I hope you all enjoy my first story.**

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Chapter 1

"The Bet"

"Hey, Volt!" Storm said, startling the Titan Engineer.

"Agh, Storm!" Volt quickly spun around, showing Storm the tools he had in his hands. "How many times have I told you not to bother me when I'm working?"

Storm scratched his head. "Umm, about maybe uh, eighty-nine to ninety times in the past, er, two months?"

"Exactly." He turned back to his work. "As you can see, building a Vanguard-Class Titan is MUCH harder than the idea had sounded at the time." Volt said, calming down from his mini heart-attack.

Storm looked up at the unfinished Titan chassis hanging above them. "Yeah, yeah, sorry and all that," Storm said, not really listening. "This is important."

Volt turned back around and stared at Storm with a look of disbelief. "Why is THIS one so much more 'important' than the other thirty times you've said that?"

Storm chuckled. "I know, I get it." His face turned serious. "But seriously, this time, I'm seriously serious about being serious."

"You said 'serious' way too many times in that one sentence alone." Volt said, slamming his non-robotic hand to his forehead.

"Hey guys," A voice behind Volt called. "What'cha talkin' about?"

"Hey Rebel," Storm said. "I was just gonna tell Volt over here about how I have just won the bet from five years ago! Ha!" He yelled, pointing a finger in Volt's face. He held up his shiny, brand-new Helmet.

"No way," Volt grabbed the Pilot's Helmet in disbelief. "You just paid-off a Pilot to let you borrow his Helmet for moment, right?"

"As much as that's something I would definitely do, you are sadly mistaken." Storm said happily, taking back his Helmet and holding up his Pilot Certification.

"Uh, Volt? What exactly did you bet on with Storm? You know how Storm is when winning a bet is on the line." Rebel whispered to Volt.

"Uh, w-well," He stammered, racking his brain for the details.

"I bet him, that I'd become a Pilot in the next ten years, in exchange for either ten-thousand credits, if he got that job in the whole accounting business, or that he'd help me build my own Titan, as long as he became an Engineer." Storm explained, with a wide grin on his face.

"Volt, tell me that you didn't." Rebel asked Volt, bringing a hand up to the top of his head, rummaging around in his hair.

"I did." He hung his head down. "Which means, the Titan that I had been working on here, once it's finished, will become yours, Storm."

"Why were you even working on this Titan anyways?" Storm asked, looking up at the Vanguard-Class Titan Chassis hanging above them once more. "You anticipating my awesomeness or something?"

"Eh, I was just working on this in my spare time. It was just a little project I've wanted to do, and I've been working on this for quite a while. I've actually been able to get the armor plates finished and ready to place on the chassis. The exoskeleton is finished and already in place, as well as the weapons attached, obviously unloaded, but still properly tested in the proper environment." Picking up the item that he was working on before Storm had stormed in. "All that's really left to do is to finish the head and the Artificial Intellige-" He was cut-off by an explosion rocking the facility, causing the lights to flicker.

"Looks like you'll have to continue your lectures later." Storm said, slapping on his Helmet, strapping it in place. A somewhat more robotic sounding Storm spoke afterwards. "Emergency in the Reactor Core," Storm read aloud to the other two in the room. "All units, report to meeting hall, blah blah blah, Pilots, report to briefing room, outside the bunker. If you have civilians, take them along with you. Do not explain what's happening, just tell them to follow you. Do not read this out loud, Storm. Seriously, don't do it."

"I've got a strange feeling that you weren't supposed to read that out loud." Rebel said, staring at Storm.

"Too late now." Storm retorted. "Come on. You both count as civilians, so follow me. Volt, secure the Titan chassis. I don't want that getting destroyed before I even get to test it." He pulled out his R-201, hearing the audible click of the safety turning off.

"What was that sound? Asked Rebel, looking around at the flickering lights suspiciously.

"Looks like they're authorizing the use of or weapons, Pilots only." He pulled out the magazine to make sure it was loaded. "No Titans in case of nuclear detonation." He stopped and looked at the horrified expressions on his best friends' faces. "I really need to stop reading this out loud." They both nodded vigorously. "Let's go." Storm said.

Volt pressed a button on the console next to them, securing the Titan Chassis in place. The trio headed off down the corridor Storm had come through, Storm leading.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello Anyone Reading! This is the second chapter (Obviously) to my Titanfall Fanfiction. I Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter, and I'd just like to ask, please review! It tells me that people are actually enjoying this so far and it also tells me how to improve and to keep me from being dead. I never like it when an author just dies off the face of the earth. (Literal or otherwise) Anyways, Here's the second chapter of this fanfiction.**

 **P.S. If any of you have a better Title suggestion, please tell me. I need to figure out a better title, and only based this one off a line in JTMachinma's Titanfall 2 Rap. (You should go listen to it, it's great) I'll stop bothering you now. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

"The Core"

"Oh man! It really feels good to finally be a Pilot!" Storm's voice echoed as they walked down the metal hallway.

"Storm!" Rebel whispered, covering his ears. "For one, that hurts our ears, and two, shouldn't we be walking just a bit faster, y'know, if there might just be some kind of nuclear explo-" He was cut-off by Storm holding a hand over his mouth, silencing him.

"The Reactor Core is right around the corner," he whispered between clenched teeth. "I don't want my superiors hear about how i managed to blurt out confidential information to my two best friends on my _first day_ as a Pilot!"

Storm released him and Rebel shot him an annoyed glare as he motioned them to continue. As they turn the corner, they saw about twenty-five people, most of them families of the Pilots.

"There you are, Storm!" A woman said to him."We were wondering when you'd get here."

"Sorry I'm late, Commander. We just had to secure a Titan." Storm explained.

"A Titan? We hadn't given you any Titan yet, have we?" She asked, giving Storm a questioning look.

"Ahem, well, y-you see, I had made a bet with a certain friend of mine-who just so happens to be an Engineer himself-one day, and-" he was cut-off as sirens began to blare.

"Looks like you'll have to explain later. Wait, Did you say an Engineer?" Briggs asked.

"Actually, yeah. Over there. Volt Photon, a good friend of mine and is currently-"

She silenced him with a wave of her hand and quickly walked over to Volt.

"Mr. Photon, tell me, have you ever worked on Nuclear Fusion?" She asked.

"Call me Volt, and yes. I had to learn the basic and advanced inner working of most of the power on this base on my first day. Well, I say had, but I really just wanted to."

"Alright Volt. It would appear that our own Engineers found some sort of discrepancy in the Nuclear Containment Field of the Core. Would you mind taking a look?" She asked, thoughtfully.

Volt looked over at Storm, who gave him a thumbs-up, then over to Rebel, who just shrugged.

"Eh, sure. Why not? I'd like to help in any way that I can." Volt said with a very professional tone of voice.

"Alright then. All civilians," she shouted over the mass of murmuring people. "Please follow Pilots Johnson and Bradley to the bunker. We will retrieve you when it is safe to do so. In the event of catastrophic failure, food and water will be provided as long as it is needed. Pilots Storm, Jackson, and Waterschlick, along with Engineer Volt, follow me."

"Later, Rebel." Volt said, waving back at him.

Rebel turned around and looked at Volt with confidence. "I know you got this. Stay safe man." He waved back and ran to catch up with the others.

"Alright, Volt. Safety Protocol says that-"

"That 'I am _required_ to wear protective glasses and a radiation-protective suit before entering the Reactor Core." He finished for her, walking over to the Rad-Pro engineer suits on the wall.

"Okay then. You really know your stuff. I now have complete faith that you can restore this base to proper working order." She said, closing the door.

"Thank you, Commander Briggs." Volt said, respectfully.

While Volt and Briggs continued to talk, Storm walked over to the other Pilots, who seemed to just be talking to each other. "So how long have you guys been Pilots?" Storm asked them.

The one on the left spoke first. "Eight years for me and Felix over here." He motioned over to the Pilot on the right, who waved. He put his hand out to Storm. "Lieutenant Ryan Jackson, At your service."

Storm shook his hand. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Sir."

Ryan motioned over to the other Pilot, who looked at him for a moment, and then quickly stuck his hand out, which Storm took. This is Lieutenant Felix Waterschlick. We first entered the academy together, managed to become first in our class in the first week, became well-known as the best trainees to ever go to the academy, and obtained our Pilot Licences at the same time, after only two weeks of training. Now, we're just trying to get in touch with 6-4. Maybe they'll actually take us in sometime."

Storm couldn't believe what he was hearing. "So you're telling me, that I have just met the massively-famous Pilot duo, that I just so happened to look up to and even want to be during my childhood and training?" Ryan nodded. "That's so awesome! I can't believe it, Today I learned I'm getting my Own Vanguard-Class TItan, and have also just met my my all time Heroes! This is amazing!" Storm shouted with glee.

"Whoa, wait. Did you say that you're getting your own Vanguard-Class? Those are only assigned to the Top Pilots. _We_ didn't even get Vanguards. We got normal Ion and Legion Titans." Felix actually said.

"Ah, well, I still need to run it over Commander Briggs, but I made a bet with Volt, five years ago that if I had become a Pilot within ten years, he would build me a Titan, as long as he became a Titan Engineer." Storm explained.

"Wow, that's brilliant." Ryan said, amazed.

"WHAT!?" The three of them turned around to see Commander Briggs looking at Volt incredulously. "You're building a Vanguard-Class? In your _spare_ time? That kind of thing takes months of work! How are you even doing that?"

"I got a licence." Volt replied simply. "So far, It's not really that hard. My father has been quite successful in the capital, so if I ask him for something, he can get it to me with the hour."

"But we're on a completely different planet! How can you get it here so quickly?" She asked, still not quite believing her ears.

"Instantaneous Transportation. My dad found a way to infinitely extend the teleportation range, as long as it's one piece at a time. Therefore, we can't teleport Titans across the Universe. Only bits and pieces." Volt explained.

"Well alright then. Volt, I probably should have told you this earlier, but you can only go into the Core alone. We aren't allowed in. I was able to get you temporary clearance, but only this once. If you fix it, however, they might actually trust you to make repairs from now on, not to mention the reputation boost you'll get." She motions for the Pilots to follow. "We're ready to let you in now, allow us to get out of here first. We'll be waiting outside for you. Good luck."

"Thanks." Volt said as the four of them left the room. He pressed the big red button, and waited, as nothing appeared to happen. He then looked at the button itself, and found that there was a bit off metal stuck in the button. He pulled it out and pressed the button once again. He was greeted with a massively bright light, and as his eyes adjusted, he instantaneously saw the problem.

"Oh great. One wire. And a whole lot of wrongly adjusted knobs, levers and gauges. Eh, this should only take me like two minutes." He said to himself.

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"So how long-" Ryan was cut-off as the door to the core opened up.

"Done!" Volt said with a smirk.

"Volt, it's only been two minutes and alarms are still-" The alarms turned off. "...blaring." Storm finished slowly.

"There were some badly set-up systems, but overall, there was the blue wire plugged into the red slot."

"Really? That's it?" Briggs asked with an annoyed look.

"Really. That's all there was. I moved a couple of knobs and levers to stop any future problems, and make sure you tell the engineers to have regular maintenance on that specific part of the Core." Volt explained.

"Alright, I'll be sure to tell them." Briggs said simply.

"Oh yeah, Commander?" Volt asked.

"Yes?"

"Could I possibly be provided with parts to make this Titan? All I need now is the head and AI Programming."

"After what you've done for us, I don't see how that could be a problem." She said. "You're all dismissed."

"Hey, Storm!" Ryan called. "Mind if we tag along? We'd like to see this Vanguard-Class ourselves."

Storm looked over to Volt, who just shrugged. "Sure, Why not?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone once again, here i am with another Chapter of my Titanfall Fanfiction. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I just wanted to give a shoutout to the first person to have left a review on this story, Mr. StrikerEureka5. Thanks so much for reading my Fanfiction guys. I'm really excited to see where this story will go, and I hope you all are too. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **P.S.: For future reference, Rainbow Storm and Ryan Jackson are my OC's, Rebel and Volt are my friend Irvin's, and Felix Waterschilick(ugh, I hate typing that) is my friend Ben's.**

 **Also, I don't own the rights to Titanfall, just a disclaimer.**

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Chapter 3

"The Name Game"

The four of them walked back to Volt's warehouse, while Storm and the other Pilots were chatting up a storm. As they entered the room, Rebel looked up and instantly got up to greet them.

"Well, they let us out of the bunker area before we even got close, so I'd assume it went well?" Rebel asked.

"Just some faulty wiring. Took me about two minutes." Volt replied.

"Who're those guys?" He gestured over to Storm and the other Pilots.

"I guess they're Storm's new Pilot friends."

Storm noticed the looks from his best friends and motions for the other Pilots to follow.

"Hey, Rebel. How was the bunker?" Storm greeted.

"We never made it. They released us before we even saw it. Who're these guys?"

Ryan stuck his hand out. "Pilots Ryan Jackson and Felix Waterschlick, at your service."

Rebel took the handshake. "Rebel Vanguard. Nice to meet 'cha."

"Oh, hey Storm." Felix called.

"Yeah? What's up?"

"We now know both of your friend's full names, but what's your full name? All I know to call you right now is either Newbie, or Storm."

"Trust me, Waterschlick. You really don't want to know." Storm replied, turning his head away.

"Oh? Now I'm intrigued." Ryan said, walking over to them. Rebel and Volt followed, exchanging glances of stifled laughter as to what was about to happen. "What IS your name, Storm?"

"Uh…" He looked over to Rebel and Volt, who both instantly turned away, as to not break out into laughter. "Um, I don't really want to say. It's kinda weird."

"Pfft, what name could possibly be weirder than Buhababaly over there?" He gestured over to a man walking past, who just glared at the smiling Pilot.

"I've always been a bit self-conscious about my first name." Storm said quietly.

"Your FIRST name? You mean 'Storm' isn't your first name?" Felix asked suspiciously.

Storm was silent.

"Come on, Storm. You've got to tell us someth-" Ryan was cut-off by Felix dying of laughter, so much that he had to take off his Helmet, allowing his curled, light-brown hair to freely move.

"Oh dear lord! Storm! I can - I can see why you wanted it to be a secret!" Felix said between breaths, beginning to calm down. "I looked up his name on the registry."

"Well? What is it, Felix?" Ryan had his Helmet off as well, purple irises staring at Felix.

"I think, you should just ask him." He pointed to Storm, who stopped dead in his tracks, after trying to retreat. "Why don't you just tell us, _Rainbow Storm."_

Felix, Rebel and Volt broke out into hilarity as his sentence ended, and Storm just looked flustered. Ryan, however, just glared at the three on the floor, and walked over to Storm.

"Sorry about that, Storm. Felix laughs way too much for his own good. Honestly," Storm looked at him in amazement as Ryan's irises turned from purple to gold. "Your name actually sounds pretty epic. Although, I can't help but think of a Pegasus when I hear that."

Storm looked confused. "I wonder why?"

"Anyways, Storm. Where's this Titan of yours. I'd really like to see it."

"Oh, right." He walked back over to the three, who had finally calmed down from all the laughter. "Volt, could you bring up the Titan Chassis for me?"

"Yes, Mr. Photon. Show us this Vanguard-Class Titan you've been building." The five them jumped as they heard a voice behind them. As they turned around, they saw three figures in the doorway.

"Come on then, grandson. Don't just stand there. Show us the Titan already." The voice said again, as the three figures continued towards them. Add they came into the light, they first saw Commander Briggs, looking as Commander-like as possible at the moment. Next, to Volt's surprise, they saw Volt's father. And finally, in the middle, it was none other than Tesla Photon, the lead Titan Engineer on the base, also being Volt's grandfather.

"T-Tesla!? _Dad!?_ What are you guys doing here?" Volt asked, thoroughly surprised.

"Well, Commander Briggs over here was telling us about how a certain Grandson of mine, was building a Vanguard-Class Titan for a friend, and required parts. I came to see what all the fuss was about and also came to bring you this," he held out a metal box to Volt. "If you are actually building this Titan."

Volt grabbed the box opened it, and inside was an already prepped Data Core and Titan head, ready to be inserted into a Titan. Without a word he slammed a red button on the console next to him, and ran off to grab a ladder.

The Titan Chassis quickly rose from its hiding spot, where Volt had put the ladder in the perfect spot to reach the head slot. He quickly inserted the Data Core and secured the head, moving the ladder back to its rack, and running back over to the group, all within thirty seconds. By this point, a crowd had gathered, seeing as the Lead Engineer was actually out of his workshop for once, and came over to see what the commotion was about. About hall the base was in front of Volt's warehouse, impressed by how fast he was able to finish the Titan.

"Wow son, this is really impressive!" Volt's father said proudly.

"Yes. Great work, Grandson. Have the guns been tested, and is everything up to code?" Tesla asked.

"Yep, I had everything inspected as I was building it, so all that's left is!" He stopped his hand over the button that would activate the Titan. "Wait, wait. I forgot to program the name. Storm, go type the name you want on that console over there, then come over here and press the button. It's going to be your Titan after all."

"On it." Storm saluted him and walked over to the console, name already in his head. "Done." He walked over to the button and pressed it. The Titan's eye glowed a beautiful rainbow colour as it came to life.

"Vanguard-Class R41N-80W ready for Neural Link," It said, cockpit opening up.

"Here's the big moment Storm. Go ahead." He motioned to Storm.

"Yeah! Let's do this!" He shouted as he slapped on his Helmet, climbing into the Titan add the cockpit closed.

"Neural signature acquired." It looked over to Volt. "Is this my Pilot?" It questioned.

"Yes, he is." Volt replied.

"Scanning. Subject identified as Pilot Rainbow Storm. Preparing for Neural Link. Pilot, are you ready?" It said.

A muffled 'Yeah! Let's do this!' was heard from inside the Titan.

"Understood. Beginning linking process."

There was complete and utter silence as nobody felt they should say a word as to not mess up the link.

"Linking process… complete. Disconnecting from chassis rack." There were cheers and applause from the crowd as a crane lowered the Titan to the floor. "Remote Pilot control activated."

The cheers turned into screams as the Titan lifted its leg as to take a step, seemed to freeze up, and began to fall forward, causing the crowd to scream and run out of the building, just as the Titan fell forward, causing an indent in the floor. The top hatch opened, causing a very dazed Storm to fall out of the cockpit.

"Ugh, I just remembered." He stated, spinning around slowly. "I never started my Titan training." He said before he passed out on the floor.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello once again Everyone! It is me, Isra, back for another chapter of the Titanfall Fanfiction. I have not found myself a specific uploading schedule yet, but I am hoping to get that started soon. I don't know what else to say here, so enjoy the nest chapter of this Story! Don't forget you review! See y'all later.**

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'Chapter 4

"Jumping Shenanigans"

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While Storm was getting his Titan Control Training, Volt, Rebel, and the two other Pilot's were just chatting along.

"So, How much longer before Storm's ready to Pilot _properly_ this time?" Volt questioned.

"Hmm, with his skill, and falling on the first step, I'd think he'll be in there for another six years!" Felix said jokingly, falling backwards in laughter.

"Yeah, uh, Felix?" Ryan called.

"Hmm? What's up Ryan?" Felix answered.

"Behind you."

"Huh?" He looked at the terrified faces of those around him. "What's behind- AH! God! Storm! Don't do that!"

It was none other than Storm, staring evilly, as he yelled into Felix's ear.

"I GOT MY TRAINING DONE WITH, YOU IDIOT!" He yelled, sending Felix farther behind a table, and causing his other friends to slam their hands on their ears. Even R41N-80W seemed to cover his 'ears' at his outburst. "Sorry guys. I forget I'm much louder than I realize." he said, sinking down into a non-existent chair, causing a 'Whoa!' to leave his mouth before he fell, causing dead silence before the whole warehouse began to laugh, Storm included.

"Karma sucks, doesn't it!" Felix said as he walked back over to the group, who began to calm down.

"Yeah, yeah. Karma's got your back _this_ time." Storm said suspiciously.

"ANYWAYS," Volt said whilst rolling his eyes. "You said you finished your Titan Training?"

"Yep! R41N-80W, come ." Storm commanded, the Titan moving towards them, stepping over the group and behind Storm. "Watch. Let's all go outside, yeah?"

The four of them walked out to the back part of the warehouse, waiting for Storm.

"So, uh, where's Stor-" Ryan was cut-off by a laser beam going right past his face, feeling the searing hot energy flash against his face. He turned to the others. "Found him." He said, seemingly unfazed by the fact of him almost dying on the spot.

"Hey guys! "Storm said, his voice coming through Volt and Rebel's earpieces, as well as Felix and ryan's Helmets, as they put them on. "Sorry about that Ryan, I pressed the wrong button."

"Yeah, sorry. Cause that _totally_ would've brought me back to life." He said sarcastically. "Hey, where'd Felix go?"

"Up here, man!" Felix said, as the 3 of them looked up at R41N-80W, Felix standing on top of it, proudly. "I wanted to see how sturdy this Titan was for rodeo. It's really- WHOA!" he yelled as he was grabbed by the leg and held upside down in front of the cockpit.

"Hi, Felix." Storm said as he opened the front of the Cockpit. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Put me down, Storm!" Felix yelled, the blood beginning to move to his head.

"As you wish." Storm replied, and Felix was dropped about ten feet off the ground, flipping around mid-air and somehow landing on his feet.

"Nice flip," Rebel said. "But can you do, this!" he said as he launched out of his chair, flying a good ten feet off the ground, onto a metal storage, from which he proceeded to frontflip towards R41N-80W, grabbing hold of his arm, and finally swinging on top of the Vanguard-Class, ending with landing a backflip on top of the Titan. "Ta da!"

"Wow." Both Felix and Ryan said at the same time. "Usually I just do this," Ryan said, using his grappling hook to jump on top of the Titan. "And grab onto these handles here."

"I'm not sure how I feel about these guys climbing on me, Pilot." R41N-80W stated. "It makes me want to destroy something." As he said this, Ryan and Rebel quickly jumped off the Titan frantically.

"Ah, good. Destructive nature. I like that." Storm said from within the Titan. "Volt, have you got anywhere I can test these guns?" He said, accidentally clicking the safety of and firing an Ion shot into the sky.

"Let's hope that didn't hit anything." Felix said as he frantically looked around the sky. When all seemed calm, he readjusted his sitting position, just in time for a cooked bird to land in his lap. "Oh god! Scared the hell out of me!" After a bit of time spent calming down, he asked, "Anybody got some utensils? This actually smells really good!"

Ryan turned away and sighed. "Remember, you - for whatever reason - always keep a pack of spare ration utensils in your uniform." He stated, as Felix grabbed the pouch from one of the pockets on his uniform. "God, after these twenty-five years of knowing you, there's still some things I don't understand about you, Waterschilick."

"Trust me. After the Third Street Saints, I'm pretty sure-" He was cut-off by Storm.

"Yeah, yeah. You guys can catch up later. I have a MIGHTY NEED to destroy something right now!" Storm yelled, his voice caught in static coming through his friend's speakers.

"Yeah, Storm." Volt said, still writhing around on the floor like the others. "Give me a second. I think you rattled my Mechanical Eye backwards."

R41N-80W looked at the four humans rolling around on the floor, covering their ears. "Pilot, I believe you may have caused them some excruciating pain."

"Eh, we've been through worse. Right, guys?" He looked around at the still-rolling figures on the ground, in too much pain to answer. "Guys?" Still no answer.

"I am going to call a medic, Pilot." R41N-80W stated as Storm jumped out of the cockpit.

"Alright, Rainbow." He said, pulling off his Helmet.

"What did you call me, Pilot?" The Titan looked as confused as it could possibly look.

"I just called you Rainbow. It's what I based the numbers and letters off of in your name, R41N-80W." He explained. "Hey, look! Cooked bird!"

"Ey! Don't touch that, it's mine!" Felix said quietly.

"Fine then." He looked to the team of Medics arriving with Commander Briggs, obviously annoyed. "Oh no. I'm getting it now, aren't I?" He asked as she walked over to him.

"Yep." She stated simply, grabbing him by the ear.

"Agh! Hey! That's my ear! That really hurts! Agh! God!" He yelled as she continued to drag him.

"I know." She said with a slight smirk.

"Oh god! Oh woe is me! Agh! Ow! That was a bump. Ow!" he continued to yell as he was dragged through the warehouse, followed by a recently-healed group of four, and a Vanguard-Class Titan, as well as a team of Medics high-fiving each other for a job well done.

"Ugh, is this how life's gonna' be while Storm is a Pilot?" Rebel groggily asked Volt.

"I sure as hell hope not." He replied over Rainbow Storm's screams of agony and pleading, as he was dragged outside the warehouse, still screaming about his ear.

"I'm glad he took off his Helmet," Ryan stated. "It'd really be an earful." He looked around at his comrades who suddenly burst into laughter as he finished his statement. "What?" He said, confused. Even R41N-80W seemed to be chuckling to himself. "What!?" The other four just continued to laugh away.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone, it's obviously me once again, here with another chapter update! I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and I realize how short this one is. Not to worry though, for I will be trying my best to get the next chapter as a mega chapter, including a few new characters and done action scenes as well. I just wanted to give you all a heads-up, so that way you know that you'll be getting a big chapter in the coming week or so. Striker, once again thanks for the great reviews and I agree with you, the last chapter could've used a bit more detail. Even this one could do with some more detail. Either way, the next chapter should hopefully be much longer and more detailed than ask the chapters recently. Sorry if that takes too much time, but I hope it'll be with it for all of you. Thanks, and enjoy the chapter!**

Chapter 5

"Unexpected news"

"Storm! Do you even realize the _gravity_ of the situation? Y-you shot through four satellites! Do you understand what that means? Do you, Storm!?" Briggs screamed in the privacy of the interrogation room.

"Uhh, that we don't get anymore television?" Storm replied with a smirk.

Briggs just glared at him, grabbed him by his shirt, and pulled him in close, Storm whimpering at the action. "It means, we don't have anymore signal jammers, therefore, we DON'T have any camouflage on this planet! The IMC is sure to find us now! All we needed to do was build up an army of Pilots and TItans whilst in hiding, and attack with a massive invasion. For God's sake Storm! It's only your second damn day! And somehow, you still manage to break almost everything we have here." She took a deep breath, looking at Storm in the eyes. "Sometimes I wish I never saw you in that hut."

"Wha-? What do you mean by that?" Storm questioned with a hint of hurt in his eyes.

"Sometimes…" She took another deep breath. "Sometimes I wish I never met you. That the IMC never attacked your Planet."

"Oh. Wow. Okay then." Storm said sadly, looking down.

"But," she said, causing Storm to look up in fear. "Sometimes, I think about your Training Record, and I realize, you did just as well as Felix and Ryan did in their first week. The only exception with you, is well, that you did the same on the first day." Briggs said, a small smile forming on her face, as well as a hint of tears.

Storm stared at her in shock, since no-one has ever seen this side of Briggs before. Not even her lieutenants. Briggs was strong, fearless, and still cared deeply about the Marauder Corps, even without showing all the 'lovey-dovey' feelings.

"I don't want your talent going to waste." Briggs finished standing up, wiping the slight tears from her face. "Which is why I've recommended you to 6-4."

"Whoa, wait. Say what!?" Storm asked, eyes wide with shock.

"I said that I recommended you to 6-4." Briggs repeated.

"But I thought-"

"You thought I would discharge you for this one offense, even with someone of your training record?" Briggs began to laugh half-heartedly. "It's still a bit of a shame I'd have to give up a man with your promising stature. But I thoroughly believe that you being at 6-4 will benefit the Frontier far more than we ever could. As well as-" She was cut-off by a knock at the door.

"Commander? There are some people here who would like to see you."

"Alright, I'll be right out." She gave Storm a smile and a big sigh. "I'll be back Storm," She said opening the door. "Let me just see what's going o-" She cut herself off as she saw who was standing in the doorway. It was none other than Commander Gates herself.

"Glad to have found you, Briggs. I hear you've got three new recruits for us." She stated simply.

* * *

"Would Pilot's Ryan Jackson and Felix Waterschilick, please report to the Briefing Room immediately." The voice echoed across the base.

"Hey, sorry Volt. Looks like you'll have to continue your lectures later." Ryan stated, as Volt and Rebel broke into laughter. "What is it this time?" Ryan asked impatiently.

"Oh, sorry," Volt replied, calming down. "Storm just said the same exact thing before the core incident."

"How much you want to bet that this has something to do with Storm?" Felix asked Ryan, waving to Volt and Rebel.

"No doubt. Let's see what's gonna happen." Ryan replied.

* * *

To say the Piloting duo was surprised would be an understatement.

"C-commander Gates!?" Ryan said in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

"Did you finally get our applications?" Felix asked, just as excited.

"Applications? What in the world are you two blabbering about?" She took off her Helmet and put a hand to her forehead. "We called you two several times. Apparently, you were hidden on this base the whole time. Good thing I found this base before the IMC."

Ryan glared over to Storm. "What did you do?"

"I may have shot down four projection satellites with the in blast that cooked Felix's lunch." Storm replied, embarrassment evident on his face.

"You shoot down _four_ satellites? With one shot?" Felix asked suspiciously.

"Afraid so," Briggs answered for him. "But that's not why we're all here. Go ahead, Gates. Tell them."

Commander Gates stepped forward and some to the three eager Pilots. "I've decided to allow all three of you into The 6-4." She waited for the reactions from the three. They all just stared at her in shock.

"Y-you want, _all three_ of us?" Felix asked quietly. "As in me, Ryan, and Storm?

"Yes, I want you three. Briggs over here showed me your guys' Training Records, and they're promising, to say the least. Top three in the Training Academy of all time. Not to mention all you've done against the IMC. So tell me. How would you like to join The New 6-4?" Gates asked.

The three Pilots exchanged glances. "Hell yeah!" The three said in unison, Storm accidentally slamming his wrist on the wall.

"Ouch! That really-" He was cut-off by a thundering sound outside. As the five walked outside, there was R41N-80W, with Volt attached to him by a ladder and Rebel laying on the ground, struggling to his feet. Storm looked down at the screen on his wrist, the same he smacked on the wall. "Oh. Oops. Sorry guys!" He called to his friends to just glared at him knowing full well what had just occurred.

"Did you just call your Titan, Storm?" Briggs asked.

"You have a Vanguard-Class Titan!?" Commander Gates interrupted. "How did you get this?" Gates looked at Storm.

He pointed at Volt. "He built it for me." He stated simply.

Gates looked over to Volt. "You built a Vanguard-Class!?" She yelled as Rebel, Ryan, Felix and Storm broke into fits of laughter. Volt just SAT there in shock.

 _Here we go again…_ Volt thought.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello everyone! It's finally done! The big chapter is here. It would seem that I usually have a big paragraph here, and I know you probably want to read this chapter so he's all I'm saying. 6500 words that like 4 chapters in one! I'm proud of this one, and hope you all enjoy this huge chapter. I'll try to do more of these in the future, if it means bigger chapters. Let me know what you guys think. Anyways, enjoy the chapter on this good ol' Friday!**

* * *

Chapter 6

"The Big One"

"Well, I guess it's still a good thing you're here, Rebel. Before you kill Storm, there's someone here who'd like to see you." Briggs said to Rebel, instantly grabbing his attention. Everyone turned to face Briggs and Rebel, wondering what surprise Briggs had in store. "Mr. Vanguard, please step forward." she suddenly said.

Before anyone could possibly make a move, or even prepare, a voice can't from the shadows behind Briggs. "Well that's just cruel and anticlimactic, isn't it, Briggs?" The voice said gruffly, obviously male.

"No, t-that's impossible!" Rebel yelled, both surprised and suspicious.

"Oh, it's very possible, _Son._ " The voice said, stepping out of the shadows.

"D-dad!?" Rebel shouted. "You've been here on this base?" He questioned.

"Actually," Briggs cut in. "He was transferred here about three days ago. He was helping train some of the new Pilots, like you, Storm." She said, motioning to Storm.

"Ah, Storm. I thought I recognized you from somewhere." Rebel's father turned to Storm.

"Uhh, duh? I told you I'm friends with your son? Literally as I was beating you in hand-to-hand." Storm replied.

"I still want a rematch for that. Anyways, Rebel. Have you started on your Pilot training yet? We probably would have met of you did." He said, turning back to Rebel. "Didn't you want to follow in my footsteps?" He asked Rebel.

"Sorry, Dad. I've been putting it off since we arrived on this base." Rebel replied, putting his head down.

"Oh, that's quite alright, Son. Briggs," he turned to the commander. "May I have some personal time to train my Son as an acting Pilot, just incase something were to happen to me?"

"Of course, Mr. Vanguard. We'll call you back if anything comes up." She replied. Rebel's father grabbed his Son with an iron grip and dragged him towards Volt's warehouse.

"Ooh, acting Pilot training. It's like speed learning all the main bits of being a Pilot, but without all the paperwork." Storm said, waving to Rebel, who just shot him a glare.

Storm just smiled and turned back to the group, jumping into R41N-80W'S cockpit. "I think I'll go watch them. Can I do that, Commander?"

"I mean, you're Top of the Line. I don't see why not." Briggs said.

"Alright! Here I come, Rebel!" Storm shouted, R41N-80W running back towards Volt's warehouse.

"Ryan, Felix. I need you with me in Communications. The IMC could be here any minute." Briggs said, walking towards the Comm Tower, Ryan and Felix in tow.

Volt looked around to see Gates, looking just as confused as he was.

"You built that Titan?" She asked, much more calm than she was before.

"Yep. I really don't know how it has so much personality though." Volt replied.

"I can answer that," Said a voice from the shadows. It was none other than Tesla, the man who handed him the the Data Core in the first place. "Follow me, you two." He walked off, allowing Volt and Gates no other choice than to follow.

* * *

Tesla's lab was, somewhat disconcerting to look at. There were tools spread out everywhere, a postboard with multiple blueprints stapled to it, random bits of metal strewn about, as well as multiple orders for armour panels of Titans.

'Please excuse the mess," Tesla said, clearing off a table and grabbing three chairs. "I'm just always so busy fixing Titans and making ammunition." He continued while unfolding the chairs. "Right now is my break time, and I overheard you on my way to the Dining Hall. I just decided that I'd explain some things to you." He said quickly, faster than any human should be able to speak. Gates was left with a dumbfounded expression while Volt was just nodding his head. "Here," he said, handing Volt a blueprint he pulled out of a drawer labeled, 'My Projects'. "I was working on a Data Core in my spare time that could simulate a hyper-realistic Titan personality that can actually learn and care. I wasn't allowed to give it to any Titan though. I needed a Vanguard-Class." Tesla explained, watching the amazement on his Grandson's face as he read across the blueprint, Gates attempting to understand all the symbols and terms as Volt tried to explain them to her. "And just as I finished the Data Core, Briggs comes barging in telling me about my Grandson who has just built a Vanguard-Class, which I took as the perfect opportunity to test it."

"So the Data Core you handed me was Hand-Made?" Volt asked, sliding the blueprint over to Gates for her to read.

"Yep, it sure is. The way you put it in the Titan was a little disappointing, as I imagined something a little more, uh, 'Ceremonial', but It worked, and he hasn't exploded yet so that's good."

"What do you mean, 'Hasn't exploded yet'?"Gates cut in, handing the blueprint back Tesla, who placed it back in the drawer.

"Ah, right. The Core of actually powered by a mini, self-sustaining, Fission Reactor. Infinite power, infinite possibilities." Tesla explained, handing Volt another blueprint.

"Well, at least your blueprints are top-notch. No chance of exploding." Volt said, relieved.

"Almost no chance. It's actually a 0.0001 chance, so it could still happen." Tesla said simply.

"How big would the blast be, should it go off?" Volt asked, tense once again.

"Trust me. This planet won't even have time to turn to dust when the solar system is destroyed."

"Oh." Is all Volt could say, imagining all the love on the plants around them, instantly gone as if nothing ever happened or existed.

"Well, _that's_ reassuring." Gates said.

* * *

"Commander! We've got a problem!" Ryan yelled, as Briggs came rushing over. "We've got multiple enemy forces advancing on the base from all angles." He explained.

"There's too many of them! We'll be overrun!" Felix yelled, terrified.

"I'll send out the alert. Felix, go get Tesla and Volt, make sure Gates knows what's going on." Briggs instructed.

"On it." He said, running down the corridor.

"Ryan, I'll handle this. You go get Rainbow Storm and the two Vanguard's. I'm authorizing weapon usage for Pilots and acting Pilots. Take this bag with you. It's got a one-size-fits-all Pilot suit for Rebel. Here's his Helmet." She said, handing him the bag and Helmet. "Feel free to stop by the armoury, get some weapons as well."

"I'm going. Stay safe, Commander." Ryan said, also running down the corridor.

"You too, Ryan!" she called down the corridor.

* * *

"So, Rebel. How does it feel to have speed learned everything I learned in a couple of hours?" Storm asked Rebel with a smirk on his face, staring down at his friend, panting on the ground.

"Tiring." is all he could say, too tired to even try to retort to Storm.

"Ryan? What are you doing here? Did something happen?" They heard Rebel's father in the other room say. Rebel jumped up and walked over with Storm.

"Hey, Rebel," Ryan said, tossing the bag at Rebel. "Put this on," He said, setting the Helmet down on the table next to him. He pulled out his R-201 and clicked off the safety. "Storm, Vanguard. We've got multiple units advancing on the base. Briggs has given the command for KOS. Weapons authorized. Which is why," Ryan continued, throwing Rebel his own R-201." I took the liberty of going to the armoury first to pick you up some weapons.

"Wow, this suit fits perfectly!" Rebel stated, feeling around the suit, looking for all the hidden pockets and compartments.

"Well duh," Storm said. "It's a one-size-fits-all suit. It has to fit."

Rebel just shot him a glare.

"In the bag, there are some Arc Grenades and the suit is also a cloaking suit. The device on your right wrist launches the grenades, and the one on your left activates cloak for a short time." Ryan explained, pointing to each part of the suit. "Storm, Vanguard. Get your Titans ready as well." he motioned to the other two.

"On it." They both said in unison, sprinting off in opposite directions.

"I hope you finished your acting Pilot Training, Rebel. This is not a drill, blah blah blah, you get the point." He handed Rebel the Helmet. "The Helmet will show you friendly troops and enemy troops. It's easy to distinguish them from each other, just like a video game. Marauder Corps' men and 6-4 are blue, and IMC members are red." He explained. "Civilians are not a problem, they should all be evacuated by now. Were you taught how to Rodeo on a Titan?" He asked, and Rebel just nodded. "Good. You know how to take out and put in a battery as well?" Rebel nodded again. 'Good. Do you also know the dangers of electric smo-" He was cut-off by an explosion right next to them, knocking them both to the ground. Standing in the massive hole, was a Tone Titan, ready to annihilate the two on the ground. All of a sudden, the Titan gets tackled to the ground by R41N-80W, Storm rushing over to the two of them, helping them up.

"You guys alright?" He asked them.

"Yeah, yeah. We're good." Rebel replied.

"Ryan, call in your Titan. We need all the help we can get." Ryan pressed a button on his wrist and put on his Helmet, motioning for Rebel to do the same. As Ryan's Prime Ion landed, he jumped in the cockpit.

"Rebel, Grab on! I'll take you to your father." He said, as Rebel jetted up to the back on the Titan.

"Ryan, I gotta go talk to Shade, he's calling for me." Storm said.

"Alright, Storm. We'll meet up later." He said, running over to where Vanguard's Ronin was fighting.

"Rainbow!" Storm called, not flinching when the cockpit of the Tone landed in front of him, R41N-80W landing behind him. A very dazed Pilot came out of the cockpit in front of Storm.

"Dude. Your Titan is freaking insane." He said to Storm.

"I know. Bet you wish you weren't on the wrong side, do ya?" he asked.

"I can't believe I volunteered for this." He answered.

"Here, I'll give you a chance. Lay down your weapons and disable your grenades." As he did so, Storm continued. "A team will be over to pick you up. When this is all over with, I hope to see you still alive."

"Thank you." He said, as he sat down in-spot, Grunts and Spectres instantly surrounding him.

"Let's go, Rainbow. Let's go check talk to Shade." Storm said, jumping into R41N-80W.

* * *

"Volt! Commander Gates! Are you alright?" Felix called.

"Yeah, we're over here!" Volt called back. When Felix entered the room, Volt waved him over. "What's up?"

"You and Tesla need to get to safety. Go back to the core and some Pilots will take you to the bunker. Commander Gates, come with me. We need to meet up with the others."

"Got it. Let's go." She said. As they got outside, they saw how much of a warzone the base had become. "Wow. The IMC really want to kill you, don't they?" She said aloud.

"Yeah, they do. Let's meet up with Briggs in the Comm Tower. Let's go! Hurry!" He yelled as a missile exploded right behind them.

* * *

"Shade! Where are you?" Storm called through the radio.

"I'm over here, Jewels is stuck in the rubble!" He answered.

Storm moved R41N-80W over to where the Phase-shift Pilot was waiting. "Hey, I came as fast as I could. How did this happen?" He motioned over to the Sunrise Orange Northstar struggling in the rubble.

"Thanks, I knew I could count on you. Jewels here landed next to me after Titanfall, but she landed on some kind of special support that caused the building to fall right on top of her. Is this your Vanguard-Class?" The phase-shift Pilot asked.

"Yeah, R41N-80W, or just Rainbow." Storm answered.

"Hello, Rainbow." Shade said jokingly.

"Hello, friend of Storm's." The Titan replied seriously, causing both Pilots to gasp in shock. "Pilots, are you alright?"

"Wow. I guess Tesla wasn't kidding about it being able to learn."

"That was weird. So, uh, Rainbow, can you help us out?" Shade asked, motioning to the rubble-covered Northstar.

"Of course," Rainbow moved over to the pile of rubble, easily picking up each piece and throwing it fifty feet, one of them slamming into an enemy Tone, crushing the cockpit instantly, once again leaving the Pilots in shock. "Done." Rainbow said, allowing the Northstar back up.

"Erm, Shade, why don't you come with us? I'm sure Briggs would appreciate the extra help. She's calling us back right now."

"Sure, let's go." She replied, hopping into his Titan, Storm doing the same.

* * *

"This is your stop, Rebel!" Ryan yelled, as Rebel jumped off. "Briggs is calling all Pilots to the Comm Tower. Make sure you stay with your father. I'll see you later." He said, running back towards the Comm Tower.

"Rebel! I need help!" Rebel's Dad called through the radio. His Ronin Titan was wrestling with a Northstar. "He's doomed. Grab his battery, I need it!"

"On it." Rebel said, jumping onto the Northstar, and grabbed at the battery. "I got it!"

"Good, now twist to the right, and pull upwards, jumping off the Titan at the same time." He quickly explained. Once he saw his Son jump off the Titan, green cylinder in hand, he shoved the Northstar to the ground, phase-shifting as it blew up. Once he came back into view, he called over to Rebel. "Bring that battery up here, place it in the slot. I need shields."

"Here I come!" He called, but before he could land, he was grabbed by an Ion Titan. "Gah! Dad! Help! I can't get out!"

" _Son!_ " Was all Rebel heard when several things happened all at once. First, he saw his father jump out of his Titan, and allowed his Titan to beat on the Ion Titan he was held by until Rebel was let go, allowing him to fall and land on his feet. What he saw then, was a second Ion Titan behind his father, too which he said, "Dad! Watch out!" As his father turned around, everything seemed to go in slow-motion as his father jumped, turned around to see a part of the Ion's shoulder come up. When he landed, his Helmet flew off, leaving his head unprotected. "No!" Rebel yelled as a laser had shot from the Ion, hitting his father directly in the face. He couldn't really tell what happened next. All Rebel could remember was his father getting hit with a laser, the wind rushing past his face as he jumped upwards. He also felt himself take several pins off of grenades at once before he blacked out.

"Rebel!" He heard Storm's call as he lost consciousness.

* * *

When Rebel awoke, all he saw was the ceiling of the Medbay. He looked around the room to see all his friends surrounding him with worried expressions. "Where… is he-?" Is all he got out as his friends cleared his right side, allowing him to see the other bed. Suddenly the memories came flooding back to him. He remembered seeing his father shot in the face, filling him with an unbridled rage he had never felt before in his life. He jumped up to the top of the Titan, who had released electric smoke when he was told of an enemy Pilot riding on his Titan's back. He remembered the excruciating pain across his entire body as he pulled off the pins of eight grenades and threw all of them into the battery slot on the Titan, instantly destroying it. As he landed on the floor, he looked over to his right to see his friends with the rest of the base running towards him. That last thing he heard was Storm calling, "Rebel! Oh god, we need two medics! Now! Quickly! Yes, over here. Rebel, whatever you do, Stay alive! Please!" Before he blacked out. He was suddenly given the energy to sit up in bed. "Dad!" He called, leaning over the railing, a robotic hand stabilizing him on the side of the bed. "Dad?" He called again, seeing the massive burn marks across his father's face. The energy he was given was suddenly taken, causing him to slump back into his bed closing his eyes and falling back into unconsciousness.

After a moment of silence from the event that had just occurred, Storm spoke first. "Well, I guess we know that Rebel is miraculously still alive AND the Stim apparatus works with his body."

"Wait, wait, wait," Felix said, holding up his hands. "You're telling me he's some kind of Stim junkie now?"

"You could put it that way," Tesla cut in. "His body was able to withstand much of the smoke's duration, but he's put his entire nervous system at risk. Most of his nerves have been,'shorted out', per se, and their functions have slowed down drastically after the exposure. The only way to keep his body from shutting down completely was to give it a huge dose of stim to fire his nerves back up."

"So you're saying he's the only human to have ever survived prolonged exposure to the electric smoke?" Felix asked.

"Yes," Tesla confirmed. "His body should still be able to work normally. Might take some getting used to it for him. You know, being on the apparatus and such. However, I have formulated a special type of Stim that is a slow-release, so he can go without a dose for some time. Though I may be able to provide it in a special, hypodermic needle soon if I have time," he said proudly.

"Tesla? Is it possible to get on it now before he comes around?" Volt asked.

"Certainly. If you'll excuse me, I'll go get to work on that." He ran out of the room back towards his workshop.

"I think putting his consciousness into a stim body would have been a better idea," Briggs muttered under her breath.

"I've just realized." Rebel's father said, startling the others in the room. "Now that I'm blind, I can't be a Pilot anymore. Briggs," He called, motioning to the wrong direction for Briggs to come over. When he felt her body heat close to him, he spoke once again. "Give Ronin the override command. I want Rebel to link with him. He's got natural talent to be a Pilot. Storm can confirm this. If he was in the academy I can assure you he would have been the best. Once Tesla is finished-" he was cut off by Tesla saying, "Done!" And everyone looked over to see Tesla holding a medium-sized syringe. "That was a bit fast, Tesla." Rebel's father said suspiciously.

"Oh, not at all. It was just a simple process. I just had to think back to the time manual injections were a thing. I simply took a syringe, added a small button for manual use, and the programming in the syringe will always deliver the correct amount of Stim through his body."

"So he's gonna be lugging around a huge container with a midget syringe all the time?" Ryan guessed, scratching his head.

"Yes and no. He will need to carry it around at all times, but I brushed up on my old sense of fashion. I managed to have an order for an A-wall Pilot armor shipped to my workshop. I managed to install the syringe container into the armor. I was able to convert the helmet into a breathing apparatus to breathe in vapor Stim as well. As a bonus, he can increase the stim dosage temporarily for a quick speed boost if he needs it, though it requires some time to cool down. Also, his helmet has a small gap to let that braided ponytail of his to flow freely," he chuckled at the last sentence.

"Alrighty then." Rebel's father shrugged. "Briggs. Bring me the wheelchair. Storm, wake up Rebel and get him ready for a Neural Link." He instructed as Briggs brought him the chair. "When he's ready, bring him outside to us and we'll begin the process. Let's go, everyone." He motioned for Briggs to bring him outside and the others followed.

Storm walked over to the side of Rebel's bed, next to the switch that will disconnect him from his life-support and wake him up. He flipped the switch, hearing the whir of the machinery slow down to a halt.

"Huh?" Rebel looked up at Storm. "Storm? What happened? Where am I?"

"It's fine, everything is okay. I just need to know, do you want the long version, or the short version?"

"Uhh, give me the short." He answered.

"To put it easily, your body was fried, Tesla saved you, though you're now on some kind of Stim-life support. Tesla custom-made you a pilot suit that will hold your Stim medicine while you're up and about, as well as getting a speed boost when you need ponytail's gonna be fine. So pretty much, you're now a Stim pilot. Well, you will be, when you link with the Ronin." He explained.

"I have no idea how I was able to understand all of that, but I did." Rebel said, thoroughly surprised with himself.

"Well, Rebel. You think you can stand up?" Storm asked.

"Only one way to find out," he said as he leaped of the bed, only to stumble around for a bit as his stimulated nerves settled.

"Easy," Storm said, holding on to his trembling friend.

"Okay… this might take a while. Could you help me out, Storm?"

"No problem." Storm supported Rebel towards the exit.

As they approached the group, Rebel's eyes lit up at the sight of his father. "Dad!" He called.

His father's face also lit up at the sound of his Son's voice. "Rebel!" He motioned to the wrong direction again to call Rebel over.

"Rebel, your father had asked that this link be somewhat ceremonial so uh," Commander Briggs let go of Rebel's father's chair and stuff up straight. "Rebel Vanguard. Step forward please." As he did so, she continued. "Acting Pilot Rebel. Are you prepared to accept the Title of Pilot?" She asked, almost robotically.

"Yep, let's do it." Rebel said nervously.

"Alright. Go ahead, Rebel. She said, motioning to the kneeling Titan.

Rebel took a good look at the hulking being in front of him. The titan was a grayish-white color, with shark teeth painted right underneath its main optical sensor. On its shoulder was an oversized blade roughly three-quarters of the titan's height. Its right hand clutched onto a revolver-looking weapon mounted on its back, and overall, looked lanky.

"I can't believe it can move on those legs. They're so… thin," Rebel muttered.

"Do not underestimate my Titan, son," His father replied, able to form a smile on his face. "Go on, my son. He's all yours."

As Rebel slowly approached the titan, its two smaller optics on top of its head perked up in his direction. Rebel froze. The gentle blue hue radiating from the optics shone gently on his face, as the Titan monitored his every move.

"Unknown subject. Identify yourself," The Titan ordered in a serious tone.

"Dad, I thought you said he'd be fine about it."

"Just, keep going."

Rebel slowly walked around the giant, its eyes still not losing sight of him.

"Scanning subject…scanning complete. Subject identified as Rebel Vanguard, offspring of current pilot, Avant-Garde. Current pilot severely injured in combat, no longer able to continue service," The Titan announced.

"Well, he seems lively," Rebel muttered.

"Give me a second. Ronin, I understand that I have been injured and can no longer be of service with you. "

The titan focused its sight on Rebel's father. "However, my son will still be able to be of service, and, well, he is my son. If I can put all my trust in him, I know you can probably deal with a new pilot of the same blood."

"I do not understand this transfer of control, Avant-garde. Your son has little experience in piloting a Titan."

"He does now, with some behind-the-door Pilot training."

"Very well. I shall take your word for it. However, if problems persist, I will send a request notifying Briggs about this unexpected transfer."

"Actually," Briggs cut in, "One of my best Pilots has overseen the Training of Acting Pilot Rebel Vanguard. Storm, step forward please."

As he did just so, the Titan looked down at Storm. "Subject identified as Pilot Rainbow Storm. Third in the academy behind Pilots Ryan Jackson and Felix Waterschilick. Has been given and allowed a custom Vanguard-Class Titan. Pilot Rainbow Storm, can you confirm the training of Acting Pilot Rebel Vanguard?" The Titan questioned, looking directly at Storm.

"Of course, your Titan...ness?" Storm said jokingly, whilst bowing slightly. When Briggs gave him a disappointing look, he stood up and coughed. "Uh, I mean, I can confirm his Pilot Training, as fast as it was, it was still almost as good as me. Almost." He added at the end, turning away and pouting.

"Training confirmed. Pilot. Confirm disconnection of Neural Link." The Titan commanded, looking at Rebel's father.

"I am prepared to disconnect from the Neural Link." His father replied, moving his head down.

"Commencing disconnecting process." There was a large silence as the two beings seemingly stared at each other for the last time. "Disconnection process complete." The Titan finally said. "Commander Briggs," It turned to her. "I am ready to Link with my new Pilot.

Commander Briggs turned to Rebel. "Here's the big moment, Rebel." Rebel nodded in agreement. "Titan Ronin-9373, prepare for Neural Linking Process." She commanded and the Titan's cockpit instantly opened. "Go ahead, Rebel. Good luck. Storm," she turned one add-on to the other Pilot. "Do you have the replacement battery?"

"On it." Storm replied, jumping on top of the Titan, battery on his waist. "Alright, off the belt, in the slot, twist, and down!" He said, doing the same actions he was speaking.

"Battery accepted. Ready for Neural Link Process." The Titan announced.

Rebel glanced at his father, then back at the Titan's opening cockpit.

He took a deep breath. "Okay, here we go," he sighed as he clambered into the Titan's cockpit.

All Rebel now saw was black. The cockpit felt cramped and slightly stuffy. The only sound that he heard was his quiet breathing.

A quiet whir made its presence known, and blinding beams of green light focused on his body.

"Scanning and identifying subject. Rebel Vanguard. Age : 22 years old. Height: 6 feet, 0 inches. Weight: 155 pounds. Relatives: Avant-Garde, father, former pilot. Granted request for neural transfer from Avant-Garde..."

Rebel took a deep breath.

"Titan request... permission granted. Welcome aboard, my pilot."

"Okay, I have to admit, this is sweet!" Rebel said, containing his excitement.

* * *

"It had been four months since the IMC invasion on Militia Base A4-94068, as well as the Neural Link between Rebel and Ronin. The entire base had to work together to transfer back and forth between the two planets, as well as fix the Camouflage Satellites that I- er, I mean Storm had- Agh, whatever." Storm set down the tape recorder he had up to his face. "That's the eighth time I've messed that up already. I'm tired of continuously rewinding that tape. I'll just continue. It'll probably be funnier that way. Ahem. They had to work together to with the inhabitants of the planet to fix the Camouflage Satellites that Storm had shot down. Luckily, it seemed that the planet they had chosen was more of an agricultural planet, with working, demilitarized Titans. They were able to get everything up and running perfectly within three days. Volt joined his grandfather to work in his lab to learn more about advanced quantum- uh, I think it was Advanced Expert Qualities of the Inner workings of the Fission Reactors within Titans. Written by Tesla himself. Rebel continued his secret Titan Training with his father and me- Agh! Damnit Storm, Get it right! Ahem. Rebel continued his secret Titan Training with His own father and myself, Rainbow Storm. He had been bonding with his Titan much more in the last three months, and even Ryan thought he might surpass him in skill. Too bad we don't have the Gauntlet though. I need to see if Tesla will- Gah, I'm getting sidetracked. Anyways, this should end Storm's Log, Episode 90034-" He was cut-off by his door slamming open, with a very angry Briggs standing in the doorway.

"Storm!" She yelled, probably waking up half of the base. "Get out there with Rebel and Ryan. Take Shade with you. Show him what kind of Training you guys put Rebel through. He's been bothering me about it for the past four days!" She grabbed Storm by the front of his shirt and threw him out of his own room. "Go!" She yelled, causing several doors to open in the hallway, murmurs coming from inside. "What are you all looking at!?" Briggs yelled, causing the doors to instantly slam shut, all at the same time.

* * *

"Alright Rebel, so last time, we worked on wall-running, right?" Storm asked, standing next to Ryan.

"Yup, don't forget how I totally stomped you as well." Rebel replied with a smirk.

Storm just glared at him while Ryan spoke up. "We're gonna have you train with another Pilot today."

"Ah, finally, a sparring match. I've been waiting for-"

"It's not a sparring match, Rebel." Storm interrupted. "He said training 'with,' not against. Briggs has instructed me to allow Shade to train with you today."

"Hello!" Shade said from above them, jumping down from his perch to stand next to Rebel. "How you doing today, Mr. Vanguard?" he asked Rebel, sticking out his hand.

Rebel took it and gave him a genuine smile. "I'm actually doing pretty swell. And please, call me Rebel."

"Alright, Rebel." He released Rebel's hand and turned to Storm. "So, Storm. What are we gonna do today?" He asked excitedly.

Storm looked over to Ryan with a wicked grin, who just returned the same expression. Shade's face turned from an excited face to about a partially scared expression. "We're gonna do two things today," Storm said, and Rebel could've sworn he saw a glint of evil in his eyes. "First, we're going to put you through a test of keeping up your momentum. You are both going to do two thousand laps around the entire base, keeping your momentum above fifteen miles per hour." He said, strapping a device to both of their wrists. "This will show you both your current speed. If it drops below fifteen, it will calculate another three laps for you to do for each second you are below. I suggest you get started, the devices will activate in thirty seconds." When neither of them moved in their shock, Ryan spoke up.

"Move!" He yelled, quickly snapping them out of their stupor, and them instantly moving as fast as they could. "How long you think this'll take them?" Ryan asked Storm.

"Eh, given that they actually don't lose speed, I'd say about eight hours." Storm replied.

"I say it'll take them six. Want to make a bet?" Ryan asked?

"I wouldn't do that!" Rebel called, running past them, Shade almost matching his speed.

"He's right, you shouldn't make a bet with me. That's how I got my Titan. Through a bet me and Volt made a couple years ago." Storm explained.

"Wow. That's some bet." Ryan said, amazed.

"I know right? It's great. I feel like at the speed they're going, it'll only take them about-" he looked down at his lap counter. "Whoa! What the hell?" He yelled, startling Ryan.

"What? What happen-" He looked down at his own lap counter. "That shouldn't be possible." Ryan stated, staring at the little machine that tole him both Training Pilots were moving at 120 MPH each, with only four hundred laps left.

"Let's go get them some water. They'll probably need it." Storm said, as the two sprinted back into the main storage building.

* * *

"Hey, Volt?" Gates called as she walked into Volt new lab. "I got the materials you asked for! Where are you?"

"I'm over here!" Volt called from the next room over. "Just set the box on the table to your left. I'll get it later." As she did so, Volt walked into the room, taking off his welding goggles and setting them down on the table. "There's some extra chicken in the fridge if you want anything." Volt said, motioning to the walk-in refrigerator as he sat down.

"I was getting an upgrade for my Helmet when Tesla asked me to give you this." Gates said, holding up a bright, glowing, purple crystal.

Volt's face instantly lit up at the sight of the crystal. "Finally! It's finally here!" He grabbed the crystal from Gates and put it in a clear container.

"What exactly is that thing?" Gates questioned.

"It's a piece of a Korentranzaniantimite Crystal." Volt replied with ease.

"A Korentranza-wha?" Gates tried with a dumbfounded expression.

"Korentranzaniantimite. I know, try saying that three times fast. But here's what it really does. Because this planet doesn't have any natural filtered water, I ordered this from the IMC black market. Watch this." He took a jar of horrible looking brown water and set it on the table. "This is from the sewer. Don't ask how I got ahold of it." He said, grabbing the container with the crystal. "If I just connect this house from the jar, plug it into the container with the crystal, watch." He said setting the house in place and seeing both containers down on the table.

Nothing seemed to happen for a moment, but suddenly, the jar spontaneously combusted in a flash of light, causing Volt to jump back in surprise, as the water that was previously in the jar, splashed all over Gates. "Oh god! Volt! There's water all over me! It even got in my mouth! How dare you-" she stopped yelling once she noticed a very pleasant taste in her mouth as well as a severe lack of dirt on her uniform. "It's clean." She said in amazement. "What kind of trick are you playing on me, Volt?"

"No tricks, Gates," Volt replied. "When the crystal is exposed to any dirt out filth in a container with it, it will immediately try to annihilate all of it, without harming any other parts of the container. Obviously, I didn't account for the sewage leaking into the jar itself, there for causing spontaneous combustion." Volt explained. "What this means, however, is that if I put this into the main water supply of the base, we will have filtered water forever! Did I mention it recreates and substance around it? It can create infinite amounts of whatever it touches. That's why it's so hard to get a crystal of pure Korentranzaniantimite. It can make it's own mini mountains. Let's go!" He explained quickly, then sprinting out the door, leaving Gates sitting at the table.

"What?" It's all she could say before he was out of the door. "I didn't understand a single word." She stated, following Volt.

* * *

Both Rebel and Shade were panting like maniacs while Ryan and Storm were dumping bucketfuls of water into their faces.

"Whatever… is pumping… through my veins," Rebel said, between frantic bouts of panting and the splashing of water. "It ain't workin'…"

"The Stim should be working, Rebel." Storm replied.

"What?" Was all Shade could say before letting his head fall back down, accepting any water he could get in his mouth.

"Ryan," Storm called, after sprinting back to the main building and coming back with another barrel full of water. "You think two thousand laps was a bit much?" He asked.

"A bit!?" Ryan yelled back, whilst running back for another barrel. "We've been doing this for fifteen minutes straight!" He yelled, once he returned.

Storm heard an alert sound on the console on his wrist, and looked back down at Rebel, who seemed to not be breathing. Shade, who was finally able to sit up asked, "Storm? What's going on?"

"I-I think we overworked him for once!" Storm searched frantically for Rebel's emergency Stim Injector. "Rebel! Where did you hide it!?"

"What!? What are you looking for!?" Ryan asked, just as frantic.

"I'm looking for his Stim! Gah, it's good thing Tesla gave US emergency Stim Injectors," he said, jamming his own injector into Rebel's arm, causing him to suddenly breathe in and sit up in a coughing fit.

"God, Storm!" He said, between coughs. "How long is it gonna take you to figure out that I am actually dying when this happens!?"

"God, I'm sorry, Rebel. I'll pay better attention to you. Ryan," he called, turning back to the lieutenant. "Let's go get the other part ready. You two," he turned back to Rebel and Shade. "Prepare yourselves. We're working with Titans next." He called as he and Ryan went back into the building.

"Hey, Rebel," Shade called, one they were under some shade. "What happened back there? Everything alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Ever since the smoke, I've had to be on a Stim apparatus to keep me alive." He replied, placing his hand over his heart.

"So that Electric Smoke thing isn't a myth? You actually survived Electric Smoke?" Shade asked, amazed.

"Yeah, but at what cost…" Rebel answered, trailing off, looking towards Ryan and Storm walking towards them.

"Yo, Rebel," Storm called. "How're you feeling? You ready to continue?"

"Yeah, I think I'm good now," he answered. "What are we gonna do?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"It's basically a Titan obstacle course," Ryan answered, motioning Shade over to them. "It's a timed thing. First of all, call your Titans." Ryan instructed.

Shade was the first to act, his Titan landing behind him. "Hey, Jewels." He called. The Titan just nodded at him.

"Your turn, Rebel." Ryan said.

Rebel pressed the button on his console to confirm the landing location. "Uh oh." He said, causing both Storm and Ryan to look up in surprise. "It's telling something went wrong with Titanfall. Look!" He pointed to the the sky, at something like a meteor moving horizontally across the sky. "That's Ronin! He's going outside the base!"

"Follow him!" Ryan yelled, and the four of them took off in the direction of the vehicle garage, aiming for Storm's four-seater buggy. Once they were all in, Ryan yelled, "Hit it, Storm!"

"I'm on it!" He yelled back, slamming his foot on the throttle, swerving through surprised grunts and scientists, finally drifting to the outside of the base, following the sideways-flying Titan.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello everyone! I'm back with another chapter, and I think I can say that I've gotten over my small amount of writer's block and have come to you with another chapter of this story. Hooray! Either way, don't forget to review and enjoy this chapter! Keep it Mello guys.**

 **Edit: I fixed some grammar errors as well as added a word I forgot outright.**

 **PS: CHARACTER OWNAGE: Shade belongs to StrikerEureka5, I have obtained permission to use his character. Felix Waterschilick belongs to a friend off site. Rebel and Volt, as well as Avant-garde, belong to another friend offshore. Normal Titanfall characters are normal. Storm and Ryan belong to me. I guess R41N-80W as well. I don't own Titanfall. All reserved rights go to Respawn.**

* * *

Chapter 7

"Agricultural Attention"

"Ronin, Talk to me here!" Rebel shouted, slapping on his Helmet.

"Pilot, It would appear that the Titanfall Launcher has failed to deliver." the Titan replied.

"No, you think?" Rebel retorted, motioning for Storm to go faster.

Storm, who had just drifted around a huge boulder, pointed up into the sky, where the Ronin Titan was still flying. "Look! He's starting to lose momentum! He's gonna come down right on that hill!" Storm shouted to the others in the buggy.

"Jesus, what did I get dragged into?" Shade asked, the only one in the buggy with an actual seatbelt on. "I thought today was meant to be extreme training. Now look where we are." he mumbled.

"I know right? This obstacle course we set up all over the base. Now the kids on the base are probably using it as a skate park by now." Storm replied.

"Nevermind that, look!" Rebel pointed to the huge dust cloud that arose from the hill they saw before. "I think that means Ronin has landed. Talk to me, Ronin. What's your surroundings?"

"Pilot, I seem to be in a rather... unsettling position." the Titan replied, looking around. At that moment, the buggy entered the dust cloud, automatically placing a roof above the car, and sealing the windows. As the car drifted to a stop, they got out and looked up at the building in front of them. It seemed as though Ronin had landed on some kind of Barn.

"Well, that explains much," Shade muttered.

"What in tarnation!? What are y'all doin' here?" a voice asked from behind them. As the dust was able to clear, they saw a young woman standing there, farmer's clothing all around, a piece of wheat in her mouth and a gallon hat. Overall, she looked like a stereotypical southern apple farmer, as they saw the words 'Sweet Apple Acres' slapped on every piece of clothing they could saw, except her hat.

"Don't just stand there like idiots," She opened the door to the barn, ushering them in. "Get inside! Dust Storms are very dangerous this time of year." It was then that she looked up. "What the- Why is there a Titan, ON MY ROOF!?" She yelled, scaring the four pilots near her. When she saw this, she instantly recoiled and quieted down.

"Sorry bout' that, guys. This Barn's been 'ere for generations." She explained.

Storm was the first to snap out of his shock. "Oh, sorry about that ma'am. You know, for barging in here and all that." Storm said apologetically.

"Oh, It's no worry. It's all fixable." She noticed the uniforms the four were wearing. "Hey, aren't y'all some of those Militia fellas that were set up a couple months ago?" she asked, pointing to their uniforms.

"Oh, right," Ryan spoke up, in his commanding tone of voice. He stepped forward and stuck out his hand. When she shook it vigorously, he was a tad bit surprised, but continued anyways.

"My name is Lieutenant Ryan Jackson. These are Pilots Rainbow Storm, Rebel Vanguard, and Shade Midnight." he said, each of them giving her a curt nod as he said their names. "My sincere apologies for busting into your farm like this, but during training, we had a Titanfall gone wrong, sending the Titan straight towards your farm. Also, I feel like the structural integrity of this building is quite low."

An audible crack was heard coming from behind them.

"Pilot, the foundation I have landed on may be structurally-" Ronin began announcing, until the barn roof cracked under the crouched titan. Ronin fell through, as pieces of loose straw burst through the hole in the roof as he landed.

"Gah!" the woman cried, watching part of the barn collapse.

"R-Ronin!" Rebel cried. "Are you alright!?"

"My systems are operational, Rebel. Fortunately for you, I do not feel pain."

"He's yer titan?" the girl asked, with an arched eyebrow. "He looks so thin."

"Do not doubt me young female," Ronin announced through Rebel's helmet.

The young woman chuckled. "He should be a fun type."

"You do realize I am able to listen in on this conversation."

"So you're some kinda stalker?"

"Invalid conclusion. I do not possess a chassis the size of a human."

Ryan sighed. "Your titan's a swell guy..."

"At least it seems the dust has settled," Shade commented, looking up to the now massive hole in the ceiling.

"AJ?" A voice called from outside. "You in here?" The voice said, closer this time. The five in the barn turned towards the door as it opened. "AJ, what in the hell is going on in-" the huge, six-foot man looked around at the men in the barn, his words trailing off. "In here..?" He finished.

"M-mack! I can explain!" The girl said quickly.

"Then you better get 'splainin," the man said, crossing his arms.

T-these here folks accidentally crashed their Titan into the roof of the barn, and came here to collect it," she explained, turning her head to Ryan. "Right?" she asked him.

Ryan moved to the man by the door. "That is correct. I once again sincerely apologise for any inconveniences we may have caused." He said, holding his hand out to the man.

Before he could take it, Storm suddenly yelled, "Everyone down!" as he grabbed Rebel and Shade, diving to the floor, Ronin hunkering over them. As Ryan did the same with the two farmers, and explosion blew the rest of the roof off of the barn.

"See? I told you we'd find a Titan here, Boss!" They all heard whilst still under Ronin.

"Good job, Brock. It seems deactivated, so a better score for us." Another voice replied.

"Boss, let's grab it with our Titans, it'll make the trip back easier." The first voice said.

There was a deafening boom sound as two Titans landed about fifty feet away. Storm looked up to see a scarred face staring right back at him. "Um, hello there." Storm said, as Ronin stood up straight, allowing the six humans to stand upright. "You don't happen to be part of the IMC, are y-" he was cut off by the man clicking an old Colt M1911 handgun to his face.

"Not another word out of you," was all he said.

Storm pressed his Titanfall button before putting his hands up.

The man moved back, keeping his gun in between Storm's eyes. "We're not IMC, hell no. But we do like sellin' Titans on the black market _to_ the IMC. We get paid big here. What are ya, some militia junkies?" He asked, just before a deafening boom resounded behind him, startling him. This was all Storm needed to dive behind him and get grabbed by Rainbow, and placed in the cockpit.

"Now uh, where's your guys' Titans you called in? I don't see anything!" Storm said, jokingly.

One of the men chuckled. "You tryin' to start somethin'?" After a brief pause, the front part of the barn gave way, revealing an older titan chassis, pointing a 40mm cannon at them.

"An Atlas?" Shade whispered. "I thought they were decommissioned from military use."

"Serves you right to think that. We still need somethin' to help out with our little, raids. As for that second one, well..."

Everyone flinched as they heard a loud cracking sound, and a large blur streaked over their heads and hit Ronin squarely on one side of his torso, knocking the titan off balance and sending it to the ground.

"Northstar..." Rebel growled under his breath, taking note of the Alternator SMG on his waist.

"Pilot," Ronin said over his comm, "I am still operational, moderate damage sustained, but I am fine. I will notify you when we are at an advantageous situation."

"You sure, Ronin?"

"Trust me," he said, one hand slowly inching towards a pile of hay.

The man looked up at the Atlas. "Don't just stand there! Get over there an' haul him in!"

The Atlas flinched, but began to make its way towards the downed Ronin.

"Little guy's gonna make us some big bucks," the man called "boss" chuckled.

"Pilots," Ronin said over everyone's comms, "be prepared when the hay flies."

"What? That's some stupid-" Ryan began to whisper, only to be cut of by a pile of straw being flung over his head.

At the same time, Storm had R41N-80W dash into the Atlas Titan at full speed, effectively throwing the smaller Titan chassis about eighty feet, landing and sliding on its back, straight into the silo. The Northstar quickly spun around, aiming its Plasma Cannon at the larger Vanguard-Class Titan. Before it could fire a single shot however, it quickly toppled over due to it's left leg being cut off by Ronin's sword, while Storm disabled it's Hover Jets with a few Splitter Rifle shots.

"Heh, you're not IMC, therefore you haven't gotten any Titan Training, have you?" Ryan asked the man he had in a headlock, who had previously been aiming an old pistol at Storm. When the 'Boss' had escaped Ryan's iron grip, he quickly held up his pistol to Ryan's face, who quickly grabbed it out of his hand and crushed it with a single movement. The Boss had looked somewhat distressed for a moment, then crossed his arms and smiled at Ryan. Ryan quickly whirled around, ready to block any attack from behind, but before either of the two could react, the huge six-foot man quickly yelled and tackled the Raider to the ground.

"I guess that works as well," Ryan commented, to which the man smiled gently. Ryan quickly turned around and punched the Boss in the stomach, causing him to drop the B3 Wingman he had stolen from Ryan's holster, then threw an uppercut to his jaw, knocking the Boss out cold and sending him flying about eight feet. The Raider that had been tackled wiggled out of the man's grip and ran over to the Boss, lifting him up over his shoulder, and continued to run down the hill.

"We'll never forget your faces! We'll remember this!" the Raider yelled as he disappeared into the forest of apple trees.

There was a deafening sound of metal being crushed as everyone turned towards where Storm and Rainbow sat. As everyone approached, they saw Storm eating a Ham and Cheese sandwich with Rainbow sitting on the crushed cockpit of the Atlas.

"Hey guys!" Storm said as the others approached. He pointed to the badly beaten Base Raider next to him. "This guy had a basket full of food with him for whatever reason, and I just decided, 'Hey! Why not take this for the base?' It had like eighty sandwiches and like ninety apples!"

Ryan just rolled his eyes and turned to the two apple farmers. "Speaking of the base, I think that you two should come with us. We'll pay for any damages to your farm and rebuild it for you, and meanwhile, you can stay with us on the base. What do you say?" he asked the Farmers.

The two glanced at each other, smiled then turned back to Ryan at the same time. "Sure, we'd be happy come with ya. By the way, the name's Applejack, weird name, I know. But y'all can just call me AJ." the young woman told Ryan, taking off her hat and brushing her hair back with her hand. Rebel just stared at her.

"Alright." he turned to Storm and Shade. "I'll call Commander Briggs and tell her to bring a garrison truck as well as two Titan Transports. Storm, you still got that water?" he asked, as Storm nodded and threw him a bottle. "Thanks, come guys, lets go head down to the road." as the five humans began to walk back down the hill, Rebel just stood there, staring after them.

"Pilot, are you alright?" the Ronin Titan asked Rebel.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I think I just zoned out for a bit. Let's go." Rebel replied quickly, running to catch up with the group.

* * *

As the convoy of trucks arrived at the base, Storm and Rebel dismissed their respective Titans and turned to a concerned looking Briggs, who was nodding as Ryan explained to her what exactly had happened, as well as the Base Raider incident, and how the two apple farmers were going to stay on the base.

"Ah, I got you." Briggs answered, as the two Pilots approached. She turned to Rebel. "Pilot Vanguard, would you please escort Miss AJ and Macintosh to their own rooms?"

"Of course, Commander." Rebel answered, saluting. He motioned for the two farmers to follow him.

"As for the rest of you," Briggs turned back to the three other Pilots. "I suggest you all get some rest. You've been out all day. I excuse you from any other planned activities for the day." When the three of them saluted at the same time, she smiled and walked off.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'ma go take a nice, long nap." Storm said, walking off towards the barracks."

"Hey, Shade," Ryan called.

"Yeah?" Shade answered, turning to the lieutenant.

"You did well today. I apologize for the inconvenience of the recent events, but hopefully you'll continue any training with us for the next month."

"Of course. As tiring as it was, I still had fun and still feel great to have trained with one of the best Pilots in the Militia."

"Alright, that's good. Go get some rest." Ryan said, pointing him in the direction of the barracks. "Also, Storm and I will try to tone down the training from now on. We don't want to kill you." he added, walking off towards he and Felix's room.

As Ryan entered the room, he saw Felix passed out on the floor, with two empty bottles of vodka lying next to him. "He's gonna feel that in the morning." Ryan said to himself, chuckling as he drifted off to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Alright, Everyone. I am here once again, to bring you another chapter. This one ended up on 5,283 words. I have no idea how, but I guess you get another big Chapter. Hooray! I don't really know what else to put here to I guess just remember to Review and enjoy the new chapter!**

 **PS: Just so everybody knows, and for future reference, half the story is actually written by me, the other half is written by my Friend Irvin. If he makes a Fanfiction account then I will find a way to link you guys to him. Most of the AJ/Rebel scenes will be written by him, with details and mistakes filled in by me.**

* * *

Chapter 8

"Night Sky and a Bottle"

Night fell over the militia base. The silence of the night filled the halls as pilots, grunts, spectres, Stalkers & Reapers alike laid down their weapons for the day. The halls had no signs of movement as the darkness slid over their side of the planet. However, there was still one creature that had his head poked into a chamber.

"So, I hope we can make your stay comfortable," Rebel said to both farmers. "We're not known to have any guests, but, this is probably an exception."

"It's no problem," Macintosh replied, giving him a friendly punch on the arm. He then plopped down onto a bed, rolled over on his side, and immediately fell asleep. AJ simply chuckled at the incident.

"Heh, he is a sleeper, 'specially after today." She turned to Rebel. "Don't ya have some sleep ta catch up on?"

"Hmm? Oh, sorry," Rebel nervously answered, shaking his head. "Kinda spaced out for a bit. But, no, not really. I still don't feel tired. My fellow pilots put me through so much exercise, I don't think I'll be able to."

"Well, ya should," she said, slapping him on the back of his helmet. "Ya won't be seein' straight when the time comes."

"Geez, you sound like my mom."

"And aren't ya supposed ta listen to parents?"

Rebel chuckled. "Fine...mom." He closed the door as he made his way out. Applejack simply let out a soft laugh, and laid down on her bed. She stared up at the ceiling, her eyes focused on the metal plates that made up the structure.

* * *

Rebel was right outside his own chamber, looking at the empty bed that was to be his.

"Well, one of my official days on the job is over," he mumbled, stripping off the armor he'd been wearing for the past couple days. A relatively foul stench filled his nostrils.

"Yeech. Forgot to shower. Storm's got me on full workout..."

Rebel slapped on a towel, and headed into the bathroom. Before he stepped in, he looked out the window. There was a lake not far from the base, its water shimmering under the full moon. He turned back to the shower, and sighed.

"Who am I kidding? This ain't a shower, just some deodorizer. And I highly doubt I'm someone's armpit, though I do smell like it." He reached for his Stim needle, and stuck it in his thigh, wincing as it pricked through his skin, and delivered the dose. He put on his armor and helmet, and quietly made his way out of the bunker, towards the Titan Docking Facility. His footsteps echoed within the hallways as he neared the Docking Facility. He woke Ronin from his rest.

"Pilot, you are up later than expected. All personnel except night watch is required to report to the bunker at the hour 2100. Are you ill?"

"No Ronin, I'm fine," Rebel said, loading his Alternator and setting it on his waist. "Get me clearance to be up and about. I need some fresh air. Also, I'm gonna need some company, so I wouldn't mind you escorting me to where I wanna go."

"This may be against Militia orders, Rebel, but I will follow. Requesting clearance… permission granted. Would you like to embark, pilot?"

"No thanks, Ronin. I 'd like to get a bit more walking in."

"Acknowledged. I will follow as close as possible."

"Thanks, bud," Rebel said, as the base doors opened.

* * *

Applejack was nearly asleep, thinking about the pilots that had saved, and destroyed, her barn. All of them were folks who were just itching for some fun. She was also glad that the Militia had helped provide them a temporary shelter while their farm was being rebuilt.

"Swell folk," she mumbled, before drifting off into sleep. She was about a good half hour into it, when she heard something outside.

 _THUMP THUMP_ _THUMP THUMP_ _THUMP THUMP_ …

"What the-" she muttered, before peering out the window. In the faint moonlight, she could barely make out a large figure heading down the slope to the nearby lake. She immediately recognized the figure once its sword glistened in the near-dark. It was Ronin, gracefully striding through the grass at a slow pace, occasionally looking down.

"What's he doin' up so late?" She wondered, putting on her farmer's clothing, and walked out of the room, careful not to wake up her slumbering brother. She snuck past the night watch, and quickly ducked behind a crate as she saw a Night Marauder Legion coming back from a patrol shift. AJ quickly slid past it and outside.

* * *

"Pilot, about how much longer will we be out?" Ronin stated. "It will be midnight soon."

"Be patient Ronin, take a break, or however Titans rest," Rebel said, shrugging.

"Very well. Enabling Rest Mode. Sensors on alert," Ronin announced, as he crouched into his Titan drop position.

"Now that's done," Rebel said, stripping off his armor, and wrapping his towel around his waist.

He let out a deep breath. "I just pray that Briggs doesn't catch me," he mumbled before jumping off from a mossy rock and into the lake.

Rebel felt the cool chill of the water as he swam for the surface. As he popped out, he sighed with relief.

"Ooh, that ought to settle some nerves," he sighed, reclining on the brim of the lake. He turned to Ronin.

"Hey Ronin, you mind if you play something relaxing?"

"Pilot, I was a machine built for combat, not for recreational use." A brief pause of silence lingered between the two. A smooth beat began to emit from Ronin, however.

"I stand corrected, Pilot."

Rebel simply smiled and gave Ronin a thumbs-up. Ronin awkwardly returned the favor. Rebel sighed as he looked at the foliage covering the rock he leapt from, then up at the bright, purple moon. He lifted up his hand and pretended to hold it in his fingertips, carefully analyzing it like a precious gemstone.

"Beauty." was all he could say, before focusing his thought on the ferns gently bending in the calm breeze. He removed the tie on his ponytail and let his hair unravel from its braid.

After his small bath in the lake, Rebel dried himself off, covered his armor in another towel, and dipped it into the lake, gently swirling it around.

"Hey Ronin, mind if you lend me your dash thrusters for a moment?"

"I do not understand your methods of insanity, Pilot."

Rebel chuckled. "No, that title's more for Storm. Just… here." He climbed onto Ronin's top, then held the soaked towel in front of a thruster.

"Rebel, I am… uncomfortable with you using me as a means of household use, while being clad in only a towel."

"Just hit the dash," Rebel bluntly stated. With a loud _Woosh,_ the hot air from the dash blasted the towel, completely evaporating the water from the towel and armor. Rebel unraveled the towel, and gave his armor a whiff.

"Smells like I ironed this thing. Perfect."

"May you please detach from my hull until you are at least out of a towel?" Ronin said, sounding a bit uncomfortable.

"Heh, sorry about that." He pulled out a small device, clicked the side, and out popped a Titan battery on his armor. "Here's to compensate, just let me put on something, so you aren't uncomfortable."

"Thank you, Pilot."

Once fully clad in his armor, Rebel took the battery, and hopped onto Ronin. He slowly took the old battery out, like his father taught him: slow twist to the right, and gently slide it out. He did the exact same for inserting the new one, placing the old battery on a small storage under Ronin's rear vent. A brief pulse of white hexagons surrounded Ronin.

"Shields granted, core charged, armor repaired. A bargain, Pilot."

"Ronin, just stop before I pull that battery out," Rebel joked. His chuckling died down as the Titan got up from Rest Mode, and pulled out his shotgun.

"R-Ronin? What's wrong?"

"Unidentified signature approaching from the east. Engaging Guard Mode, uphold Protocol 3."

Rebel pulled out his Alternator SMG, and took aim, his left hand ready to fire up the stim boost.

"Who's there?" he called out, his finger now twitching on the trigger. There was nothing but a rustle in the grass from the breeze.

"Pilot, I suggest you acknowledge your awareness with a more convincing warning," Ronin stated, turning to face the opposite direction.

Rebel fired a warning shot into a nearby tree. Everything went silent. Right when he began to lower his Alternator, the rustle was heard again, approaching from the sound of it.

 _Crud, what if it's those raiders again?_ Rebel thought, his weapon slightly trembling in his grip, but maintaining firmness. He could now see the grass rustling, with a figure closely approaching him.

"W-Who's there?!" he demanded, his alternator now raised to kill if the moment struck.

"I shall see," Ronin stated. "Scanning terrain. Single subject, certainly human. Affiliation: none. Current armor: simple clothing. Gender: Female. Heart Rate: Escalated, possibly nervous. Activating illumination lens." A bright blue light emerged from Ronin's main optic, shining upon the figure. Rebel lowered his weapon and sighed at the sight of a familiar ten-gallon hat.

"Applejack… it's just you..." he said with a relieved breath. She did the same once she saw the familiar A-wall helmet staring at her.

"S-sorry 'bout scarin' ya. And also, could ya tell yer titan to stop pointin' that giant, three-barreled monstrosity in his hands at me?"

"Of course. Ronin, it's just Applejack, nothing to worry about."

"Acknowledged. Remaining in Guard Mode for safety purposes," he said, holding up his Leadwall like a revolver.

"So, what're ya doin out so late? Everyone's out like a light while you're here, sittin pretty by lake."

"Eh, like I said, can't sleep, decided to find some way to relax."

"By runnin' out here?" she asked, with an arched eyebrow.

"My question is this: why did you come out here?"

"You're titan woke me up. I heard him walkin' around, and kinda decided to see what was goin' on. All of a sudden, I see some type of light blindin' me, and I saw ya."

"That explains a lot," Rebel said, taking a seat on the mossy rock, the cowgirl following suit.

"Ya still haven't answered mah question," she said, with an elbow to his ribs.

Rebel sighed. "Like I said, I needed a break."

"There's gotta be more than that to convince me. I was known fer mah honesty an' I know when y'all are lyin'."

"Ugh, fine. You know those showers in the base?"

Applejack nodded.

"Well, let's just say I'm not a huge fan of them. It's just spray-on deodorant that makes you smell decent for a couple hours. And besides, my armor was starting to smell like an armpit that hasn't been washed for days. Need I say more?"

Applejack said nothing but gave him a skeptical look. She then focused her attention to Ronin, who was paying no attention to the conversation.

"Hey, big guy, ya pilot here tellin' the truth?"

"Correct. His purpose for leaving the base are as he stated, along with admiring the scenery."

"Was that last detail necessary?" Rebel hissed through gritted teeth.

"Yes."

"Well, it's alright," the cowgirl said, patting his armored back. "Ya probably be goin' insane after seein' metal for days. I mean, I can't stand it either."

"Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one."

Applejack gave him a friendly punch. "Well, ya aren't anymore."

"Thankfully," Rebel sighed as he looked back up at the moon.

"Say, sorry for me pokin' around, but how old are ya? Ya sound purty young fer a Pilot."

"I'm twenty-two," Rebel replied firmly.

"Hey, now, ya sound older than ya say you are. Lemme see who's under that silver noggin," AJ said, reaching around the base of his helmet.

"H-hey! I didn't say you could yank it off!" Rebel cried, but to no avail. Her grip was firmly on his helmet, and with a swift tug, his helmet popped off.

Applejack could not believe her eyes. He wasn't lying. She saw a young male face, his skin slightly pale from all the time in the helmet. His hair was a dark brown, partially messed up, with a braided ponytail, but still a bit wet from its recent douse with water. A pair of blazing blue eyes stared at her, then focused their sight at the helmet in her hands.

"Wow… ya really are young as ya say... "

"Helmet makes me sound older. Can I have it back now?"

"Well, now that I know, I can say that I'm gonna be as old as ya in a month or so," she said as she handed him back his helmet.

"You're twenty-one, nice."

"Pilot," Ronin broke the conversation between the two. "It is two hours before midnight. I advise we all head back to the base before we encounter any hostiles."

"Good idea." Rebel turned to Applejack. "Wanna hitch a ride on my titan here?"

"S-sure! I've never rode on one of these newer models."

"Wait, you own a titan?"

"Sure. It's like one of them old Atlas Titans like the one y'all fought. It's in for repairs, though, but..." she motioned for Ronin to crouch down. Once he did, Applejack clambered onto the top of the Titan, her hand firmly on the rail.

"Will you be embarking, Pilot?" Ronin stated, opening the cockpit.

"Actually, AJ, move over, I'm comin' up," Rebel said as he leapt up next to the cowgirl, crouching on the Titan's head. "We'll talk some other time. Onwards, noble steed!" he joked, patting Ronin's head.

"You two really are somethin'," Applejack chuckled.

"We really are," Ronin said, with a lighthearted tone.

* * *

Commander Sarah Briggs looked at the four Pilots she had called to the Briefing Room. "Everybody understand your assignments?" she asked, looking around. When three of the Pilots nodded, she turned to Storm. "What don't you understand, Storm? We've gone over this nine times because of you." she said, exasperated.

"Just one more time, and I think I got it." Storm replied, smiling evilly.

Briggs just huffed and practically yelled it in his face. "You and Ryan are to go outside of the base to find out more about these Base Raiders. You and Ryan will go to the town in the north, Shade and Felix to the south. If you happen to run into any of them, detain them and bring them in for interrogation. That's all you need to do. You got that!?" she screamed at the last part.

"Yep. I got it." Storm replied, eyes wide with shock while he rubbed his ringing ear. He looked over to Shade and Felix who looked just as angry. Ryan just seemed indifferent.

Calmed down now, Briggs turned back to the other Pilots. "You may leave now. Remember, Titanfall only if absolutely necessary. Try to take down any Titan with your Anti-TItan Charge Rifles before resorting to Titanfall. Good luck everyone." she dismissed them with a wave of her hand and walked out of the room.

* * *

Ryan looked at Storm and jerked his head towards the exit, pointing a finger at the door and walking towards it. Storm followed him out and waved back at the other two pilots as he exited the building. Storm and Ryan walked in silence as they left the compound and traveled about four miles.

"So," Storm broke the quiet. "You're usually a lot more talkative. You alri-"

"AGGGHHHHH!" Ryan cut him off by yelling, scaring all the birds off the trees and even quieting every small insect and animal in a three mile radius. Storm could've sworn he even heard an echo off of the mountains. Storm was frozen in shock and fear, until Ryan regained his composure and smiled at Storm, reassuring him that everything was fine. "Yeah, I'm good. Sorry about that, Storm, I don't feel so great whenever I'm woken up oh so rudely."

"What happened?" Storm asked, finally recovering from his shock.

"Briggs asked Felix, of all people, to wake us up. You were already up, but Felix, decided to be funny, and blast gunshots into my ear. Not through technology, but proper silenced gunshots. Right next to my damn ear. Payback's gonna be a bitch." Ryan said, wringing his hands together.

"You know, I could probably help you with that. Back home, I used to be one of the best pranksters in town. Just ask Rebel and Volt. anything from water bucket on the door, to rusty nail in your shoe." He said, looking up at the moon.

His Helmet lit up."Huh? Rebel's Ronin is asking for clearance to leave the compound. Why is he asking me?" he wondered aloud.

"I don't know. Check for a reason." Ryan replied, putting on his own Helmet to find nothing of the sort on his own.

"He says, 'escorting Pilot', and that's it. What is Rebel doing?"

"I don't know, but give him clearance." Ryan pulled a small device out of one of his pockets. "I can see from Ronin's perspective with this device, hold on. Hmm, ah. There we go. Connected. Go ahead and give him clearance." he said, connecting the device onto the front of his Helmet.

"Permission Granted. What do you see?" Storm asked, sitting down on a log.

"They're just walking through the woods, hmm, oh! They're heading to the lake next to the facility. I wonder what they're doing there?" Ryan replied.

"Ryan, Take it off," Storm said. "He's going to bathe. He doesn't like the showers in the facility. It's a habit from our old town.".

"Gah!" Ryan yelped as he ripped the device off of his Helmet, smashed it in his hands, and buried it in the dirt. He looked back at Storm. "Thanks for the heads-up. I wouldn't have noticed until it was too late." He stood up, motioning for Storm to do the same. "Move those logs. I got something for ya." Storm did as he was instructed as Ryan pulled a small box out of his pocket. He held it up for storm to see."Inter-Dimensional Storage Cube. I put your buggy in it before we left. I also had Volt make a couple of modifications to it as well." He placed the Cube on the ground, pressed down on the top, and stepped backwards.

"Wait, what kind of modifications?" Storm asked, suspiciously.

"The kind you'll love." Ryan replied ask the Cube grew bigger, opened up, depositing the buggy on the ground, shrinking and returning to Ryan's hand, which he then placed it in his pocket. The first change Storm noticed was a very prominent minigun on the top of it, as well as an extra four seats in the back. As he moved around to the back end, his face immediately brightened up at the sight of the twin jets securely attached to the back.

"Oh, hell yeah." Storm said, running back to Ryan. "Can it fly?" He asked, looking Ryan directly in the eyes.

"Yep." He said, crossing his arms and smiling.

"Can it go underwater?"

"Yep."

"Can you use the gun while I drive?"

"Uh-huh."

"Can you use the gun while I fly?"

'It puts a cover over the gun as well as secured straps around the gunner when driving and flying." Ryan explained.

"Does it have guns on the front?"

"Built-in, they come out whenever needed. One of them is Anti-Titan and Anti-Vehicle. The other is a twin minigun. Go ahead and hop on in. I'll teach you how to fly."

There was an Alternator shot heard in the distance as Storm sprinted to the driver's side of his new and improved buggy. He jumped through the open window, not even bothering to open the door. Ryan calmly opened the door on the other side and got in.

"Alright, so you push this button for the Jets," Ryan said, pointing to a button behind the steering wheel. "And this one to activate V-TOL Mode, as well as this one to seal the windows and activate Submersible Mode."

"I have a better idea," Storm said, beginning to rock back and forth, motioning for Ryan to do the same.

As Ryan did so, he looked very skeptical. "I don't know what you're trying to do, but it's kinda weir- whoa, what?" He cut himself off as the buggy began to lift its front wheels up whenever the moved backwards. It then rocked to the point of it almost being straight up. When it rocked back after that, Storm yelled, "Hang on to something!" as he slammed his hand on the Jet button, sending the buggy straight up into the air, yet Ryan was surprisingly calm. When the buggy reached the peak of its jump, Storm slammed on the V-TOL button, allowing them to hover.

"Alright, now you just want to carefully-" Ryan began, but interrupted by Storm.

"Floor it!" He yelled, slamming his foot on the throttle, moving the buggy with enough force to give anybody instant whiplash. As the flying buggy picked up speed, Ryan noticed the air bending around the buggy.

"Storm, be careful. I think you're about to break the sound bari-"

 _ **BOOM! WHOOSH!**_

"Woohoo!" Storm cried as the flying buggy rocketed forward faster than anything he had ever seen before, and then suddenly crashed into town faster than anything he'd ever seen before.

"Holy hell, how are we alive!?" Ryan cried out as he opened the door and stepped out, grabbing onto the top of the buggy to stabilize himself. "And how did you crash land into parallel parking without damaging the car or any other car!?"

Storm hopped out of the car himself and looked at where he landed. "Magic." was all he said.

"Obviously." Ryan looked around at all the people staring at them. "Oh wait, there are no other cars. We're in an agricultural town. What is wrong with me?" Ryan said, facepalming.

"I don't know," Storm replied. "But I think I see some of those Base Raiders."

"What? Where?" Ryan asked looking around frantically.

"Over there, the ones pointing the guns at us." He said, pointing to the group of men about ten feet away, holding old Thompson Sub-Machine Guns and Colt M1911's. "They really are fans of the oldies, aren't they?" He stated, pulling out his R-201 and clicking off the safety.

Ryan did the same. "Remember, Briggs said not to use Titans unless of a dire situation. We don't want anymore property damage or any loss of civilian lives."

"I know how to clear them out." Storm said, raising his gun.

"Wait, Storm! No!" Ryan tried to jump and push Storm before he shot, but was shoved out of the way by a passing civilian, and Storm shot one of Raiders directly in the face, killing him instantly. Storm smirked as the other Raiders looked shocked for a moment, then turned on Storm, looking angrier than before.

"You…" one of the Raiders began. "You, just killed Johnny…" he said, creeping toward Storm with the others following the same movement. "Everybody loved Johnny." Another said, raising his gun towards Storm. "Now you're going to DIE!" the other yelled, unloading his Thompson straight at Storm. Storm just stood there as the bullets bounced right off his hyper-advanced armour.

"Is that really, all you've got?" Storm asked, pulling a smart pistol off of his belt and turning towards Ryan, with the gun over his shoulder, smiling at Ryan. "I expected more of a fight. Three shots, three lives ended. Sorry guys, your time has run out." Storm said, smiling like a madman, and his eyes seemed to turn slightly red, then orange, to yellow, then the rest of the rainbow as he pulled the trigger.

Ryan actually looked scared. "Storm? A-are you okay?" he asked, backing down a bit, turning on the safety on his R-201.

Storm's face instantly turned back to normal. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" he said, hopping until his buggy. "Grab the fourth guy, the one hiding in the corner. We're taking him back for interrogation." Storm said, starting the engine.

As Ryan handcuffed the last guy, he muttered to himself. "Something's up with Storm. And I think it's up to me to find out."

* * *

"Felix, I don't think that there's any town this way!" Shade called, looking around. "We've literally been walking for twenty-five miles. We should go back."

"Good idea. Let me call Ryan, maybe he can save me. I mean, us." Felix replied, looking at his bleeding ankle.

"Hey, it's not my fault you stepped on a bear trap that had a sign literally pointing at the bear trap."

"Ah, well screw you too." Felix pulled out his liquor flask and downed the whole thing. "That should help the pain." He grabbed his communicator and threw it at Shade. "Set the frequency to 115.935. It's me and Ryan's secure line. We only use it in emergencies. It'll automatically send him our coordinates." As Shade did as he was told, the communication made a very loud ping sound and a green check mark appeared on the screen. "That means he's on his way. I'd say he'll be here in like, an hour or s- what the hell!?" He cut himself off looking up at the hovering V-TOL above them. As it landed, it would seem that it was none other than Storm and Ryan, who quickly got out of the buggy upon seeing Felix's leg.

"Holy shit! Felix! What did you do!?" Ryan cried.

"Eh? Oh, I sthepped on sha bear thrap." Felix replied, obviously drunk.

"Of course you did. That's the third time this year. You owe me a beer." He sighed, grabbing a bandage from his belt.

"Ah, vhatevs," Felix said in a heavy German accent. "I can alvays get new von."

"Oh no. Storm, knock 'em." Ryan said, after he finished bandaging Felix's leg.

"Gotcha." Storm replied, then promptly smacked him with the butt of his rifle, properly knocking him out.

Shade was in complete shock. "W-why'd you do that!?

"It's a well known fact that when Felix is drunk, he goes into a homicidal German mode, ready to kill anything in his way." Storm answered. He hopped back into the buggy. "Everyone in. We're going back now." Once everyone was in, Storm turned and handed Shade a syringe. "If the guy tied up next to you wakes up, jam that into his neck, would you?" He told him then promptly turn back to the wheel and turned on the engine, immediately going into flight mode.

 _There it was again…_ Ryan thought as he saw Storm's eyes flash rainbow again.

* * *

"Korentranzantiantimite? Did I say that correctly?" Gates asked Volt as she looked at the box full of Korentranzaniantimite Crystals that Volt was carrying.

"Yup, you finally got it." he replied, smiling as he set the box down. "Be sure to not get any substance other than water near these. We don't want an incident like yesterday." Volt told her.

Gates shuddered at the memory. "I still can't believe the way you saved me. It was so cliche! The Korentranzantiantimite Crystal basically blew up like a grenade!" Gates said, looking at Volt's torn-up mechanical arm.

"Yeah, and I just waved my arm in front of you, slamming each piece away. That was fun." Volt replied, as he ran his hand over his new mechanical arm. Tesla had remade it after his old one stopped working from the incident.

"So, Volt. Do you want me to go get the boxes of parts so we can make these Korentranzantiantimite Water Filters?" Gates asked, pointing to a pile of boxes in the corner.

"Man, you're really having fun saying the word, huh? Go ahead and grab them. Since Briggs won't allow me to put these things in the water supply, this will have to do." he said, grabbing his toolbox.

* * *

"So, Ryan, Felix. How old are you guys, anyways?" Shade asked curiously. Felix had woken up and somehow was completely and utterly sober.

"Wow. That's a question I haven't heard in like, five years!" Felix cried out, putting a hand on Ryan's shoulder.

"Yeah, I know. Me and Felix here, we're both thirty-three. We joined the Militia officially when we were both twenty-five." Ryan explained, smiling at Shade.

"Hey guys, look!" Storm suddenly exclaimed, pointing a finger down near the ground, at a walking Titan. "I think that's Ronin. There seems to be two people on him. Hold on, let me turn off the lights." he did so as well as silenced the Jets keeping the buggy in Hover Mode. "It could be those Base Raiders again. What should we do?" Storm asked the accompaniment.

"Watch them. If anything suspicious happens, open fire. Ronin is repairable. This thing can transport Titans as well." Ryan ordered, after getting the okay from Briggs.

"Understood, Lieutenant Jackson." Storm said jokingly, whilst saluting. Ryan just rolled his eyes.

* * *

"So, AJ, do you just live with your family in this stretch of land?" Rebel asked, his sight focused on the cowgirl.

"Yeah, my brother and my little sis. She's over at her friend's place an' she'll be back in a week."

"It's gotta be lonely just living with your family. Don't you have any friends?"

"I-I did," she said, her tone becoming a bit somber. "I knew them since I was young, an' when news of the IMC spread, as well as the raiders, they fled to other planets, hopin' fer a better life. I couldn't leave my farm, it's like a part of my family. I committed ta protectin' my farm against them raiders with my big brother," she said, lifting part of her shirt up to reveal a Hammond P2016 pistol neatly in its holster.

"No wonder you seemed a bit tense when we first met you," Rebel muttered.

"Our condolences," Ronin stated. "Perhaps we may be able to form a bond with you as well. I believe my Pilot and I would be more than honored to have your trust."

Applejack smiled at his words. "Aw, thank ya, sugarcube."

She turned to Rebel. "I never knew your titan could express this much emotion."

"Of course," Ronin interrupted again. "I am one of the only non Vanguard-Class Titans to be outfitted with an improved Data Core."

"Say," Applejack turned to Rebel. "Do ya think that I can get one of them new-fangled cores fer my titan?"

"I don't have the brains for that," Rebel chuckled. "But I know someone who might. Remind me when we get back to base."

"Thanks fer the favor," Applejack said, patting him on the back.

Ronin immediately stopped. "Pilot, I am detecting multiple heat signatures ahead. Possibly Raiders."

Rebel sighed as he pulled out his Alternator, and positioned himself in front of Applejack. "Ronin, protect Applejack at all costs."

"Acknowledged. Scanning terrain… Five subjects. Affiliation: Unknown. Armament: Various Anti-Personnel and Anti-Titan weaponry. I advise a warning shot, Pilot, as before."

Rebel sighed and brought his gun up over his head, firing a single shot. Little did he know that the V-TOL hovering above them would take that as a massive threat.

* * *

"Wait-" Ryan was cut-off by Storm screaming.

"OPEN FIRE! AGGGGHHHHH" he yelled as he began to fire all the guns rapidly and everywhere, basically hitting anything but the Titan. Even Felix was having a hard time hitting the Titan and he's basically a deadshot. "RIP THEM TO SHREDS! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Storm laughed manically, causing Ryan and Shade to cringe as they looked down upon the hellfire of where ronin used to be.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello everybody once again, we are here with another chapter. I've been basically requested to define credit where it's due, and I should state here that I'm not working on this story alone. Some parts are written by DrCool13 (He owns Rebel, Volt, and Rebel's father), some by me. I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I liked writing it. Don't forget to review and please, enjoy the story!**

* * *

Chapter 9

"Clearing the Smoke"

AJ ducked down as Rebel fired the shot, neither one of them expecting the response. As bullets, missiles, grenades, and Anti-Titan lasers alike rained down upon them from the sky, the last thing she heard was Rebel yelling while he got into Ronin.

"Applejack! Hold on to something!" He yelled as he moved Ronin into Phase Shift mode. The first thing AJ noticed was the amount of white all around her. The second thing, was the colour suddenly returning to the world, about 250 feet away from where they stood before. They watched as the now visible V-TOL stopped shooting, and began to move in a square pattern with a searchlight, until the light came upon Ronin once again. Rebel kept Ronin's Leadwall poised at the V-TOL as he tried to look for weak spot, but to no avail. Suddenly, a voice was heard, which Rebel immediately recognized as Lieutenant Ryan Jackson.

"Storm, I told you to stop shooting. It's not the Raiders. It's just Rebel." Rebel could even hear his eyes widen. "And the Apple Farmer!? What are you guys doing out here? Hold on." Some hooks attached to cables lowered down from the V-TOL.

"Rebel and AJ, go ahead and disembark from Ronin and please securely attach these cables to his hull. We will then airlift both you two and Ronin back to the base."

Rebel and AJ did as Ryan said as the V-TOL lowered to the ground and transformed into what Rebel and AJ both recognized as Storm's buggy, although obviously upgraded.

"Nice work, Volt. I might have to ask Storm to let me take it for a spin," Rebel said, patting the side of the vehicle. Suddenly, the passenger side door slammed open, hitting Rebel in the chest and knocking him back ten feet.

"Gah! Rebel! I'm so sorry!" Storm cried as he hopped out of the buggy and ran over to the wheezing Rebel, who was trying to get back up, but failing miserably.

As both Storm and AJ hovered over Rebel, he flicked his hand at AJ, who quickly moved back as Rebel opened his eyes and stared directly at Storm. It was silent as the two were just staring, as Rebel suddenly punched Storm directly in the face, an audible crack moving through the forest, startling some birds in the trees. As Storm flew, his helmet flew off and he slammed into the side of the now-empty buggy, back bending as he hit it.

"That, was for shooting at us. And this," He was now standing over Storm, rearing back his leg. "Is for hitting me!" Rebel moved his foot forward, aiming to kick him in the chest, but suddenly, Storm opened his eyes, his irises once again the colours of the rainbow, and grabbed Rebel's foot, as quick as lightning.

"No." Storm said as he stood up quickly, his voice sounding much fuller and louder, causing everyone to automatically shrink back, and Rebel stared agape at Storm's eyes.

"Storm... what's with your eyes?" Rebel asked, still staring at his eyes.

"Huh? Whatever do you mean, Vanguard?" Storm replied, smiling wickedly. He grabbed Rebel by the front of his uniform and easily hauling him up to eye-level. "My eyes are perfectly _normal_." Storm said, flicking his fingers outward and sending Rebel through the forest at lightning fast speed, breaking several trees and creating quite a divot in the ground up to where Rebel had landed on his feet, obviously using Stim. As Rebel sprinted towards Storm, Storm turned on him and stuck out his fist causing Rebel to slam into it, knocking Rebel out cold.

"This fight is over," Storm said, turning to Ryan. The Rainbow Colour quickly faded from his eyes, and his voice returned to normal. "Now, uh, R-ryan? Could you get me to the fixey place? You know, the repair shop for 'hoomans'." He said, passing out and collapsing to the floor.

* * *

"Honestly, Commander, I have no idea what's going on." Ryan said to Briggs and Felix, in the safety of Briggs' room.

"Basically, all you've told me, is that Storm is going homicidal, and has been in a comatose state, ever since the incident three days ago." Briggs said, trying to make sense of it all.

"That's all I saw!" Felix chimed in, scratching his head. "His eyes went Rainbow and he almost killed Rebel!"

"Rebel! I forgot about him. How is he Ryan? Has he recovered yet?" Briggs asked, turning back to Ryan.

"Yes, Commander. He's still somewhat in shock, but Miss AJ has requested that she keep an eye on him whilst he recovers." Ryan crossed his arms. "I think they might have something going for them, Commander." he said, elbowing Felix, who just smacked his arm away.

"We'll see how that plays out. Come along then, Lieutenants. Let's go give Rebel some visitors.

* * *

Applejack sat next to Rebel's bed as he was still recovering. She had her face buried in her hands as to what had unfolded last night. Her sight focused on the sleeping pilot, who seemed to be in less pain than earlier on. He was completely scrunched up, continuously wheezing as the medics tended to him. Thankfully, the medic had reported that nothing was broken, but there was some bruising, so he would have to move tenderly to avoid agitating the injuries. She sighed as she moved her chair closer to his bed, taking time to look at the photo that was resting on the nearby table. It was a photo of his father, Rebel when he was much younger, as well as another female figure that was right behind him. She was relatively tall, with a gentle smile on her face, almost of reassurance.

"Heh. Now I think I know why Rebel's kinda soft," Applejack said, her attention now turning towards the pilot. She lifted her hand up towards the pilot's head, and as she was about to make contact, she flinched when Rebel began to stir from the bed.

"Ugh… I don't feel to hot..." he groaned, attempting to sit up.

"Easy there. Ya still're recoverin'. Ya need to go slowly," Applejack said, helping him at least sit up in bed.

"Thanks, AJ," he said, clutching onto his sore stomach. "Storm had better have a good reason for this."

"I-I'm sure he does," AJ nervously replied, seeing the anger seeping from his eyes. "Y'alright?"

"I'm fine, AJ. Just that egotistical little prick is gonna eat my fist for trying to blast all of us into oblivion."

"Jus' calm down there, please. Yer not thinkin' straight."

"Really? And what you saw earlier wasn't?"

"Hear me out. Just 'cause this one little spat happened, don't mean it's the end of the world. I mean, ya know him more than I do."

"A spat? You literally call being shot at by every weapon imaginable a spat? I wonder what a brawl looks like to you."

"Listen, jus' settle them nerves down, and we'll see how it turns, out, 'kay?"

Rebel let out a deep sigh as the tension from his fist and his eyes slowly disappeared. "You're right. But if things go the same way, I'll-" he was cut off by the door opening and a figure standing right behind it. With once fierce leap from the bed, Rebel gave his fist a good, hard, swing, only to find Felix hunched over, holding his face.

"AAAAGGGHHH! My beautiful face!" he shrieked, as Rebel withdrew his hand.

"Oh, crud. That was for self defense!" He exclaimed, as he looked up to see Briggs and Shade watching with open jaws. Ryan was on the floor, doubled over in laughter.

Briggs quickly recovered. "Rebel. I can still see that you're on edge. We could come back later if you want." she said, smiling.

"Nah, it's fine. Really sorry about that, Felix." Rebel replied, slowly moving back to the bed.

"AGGGHHH!" Felix yelled once again, still clutching his face, and walked back down the corridor, yelling about his 'face-pain'. Ryan had doubled over once again, right after calming down from before.

Once Ryan had finally calmed down, looking indifferent once again, Briggs spoke up.

"How are you feeling, Rebel? I've heard quite the tale about Rainbow Storm's actions."

"So you've come here for a first-hand account. I got ya." He said, smiling. "Don't really remember much after I was going through the forest at the speed of light." he added, mumbling.

* * *

"Sir, we've got a heartbeat!" A medic exclaimed as he ran into Volt's Lab.

"Take me to him." Volt replied, setting down his toolbox and putting on a clean shirt. Once the two came to the door to the Medbay, Volt turned to the medic. "Thanks. You can go now." The medic nodded and quickly rushed off to another room.

Volt walked into the room and sat down next to Storm, setting his hand down on his chest. "Well, they weren't kidding about the heartbeat. I might need to slow that down somehow. It's going like a million miles a minu-" he was cut off by Storm grabbing his wrist.

"Volt? What happened to me?" Storm asked weakly.

"You kinda went a bit insane. More than usual." Volt replied, sitting down.

"What did I do?" Storm asked, sitting up.

"Well first of all, you almost destroyed Ronin with your little show of force."

"I remember that. Not anything after though."

"From what I hear from Ryan, your eyes went all Rainbow Coloured, and you and Rebel got into a fight. He surely would've broken your ribs, if you didn't throw him across the forest." Volt said, looking out the window.

"What? How did..?" Storm looked utterly confused.

"I don't know. From what Ryan tells me, you basically grabbed him and flicked him away like a fly."

"That's… I don't have that kind of strength." Storm was standing now. "Volt, what's wrong with me?"

"I don't know, but if you're feeling better, I'd like to find out." Volt said, standing up. "Meet me in my lab. Also, I might suggest paying a visit to Rebel. Settle your differences. Apologize." He said as he walked away.

* * *

Storm's head was spinning as he approached Rebel's recovery room. Once he got his head righted, he raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"No! Fer the last time Waterschilick, if ya ain't bleedin', yer fine!" came Applejack's voice from the other side. When the door opened, she jumped back in surprise. "Gah! You're actually up!"

"Y-yeah…" came Storm's response, rubbing his shoulder while looking down.

"What're ya doin' here, _Rainbow…_ " Rebel said, laying on his side facing away from Storm. "What, ya got tired of being the literal DEFINITION OF INSANITY!?" Rebel shouted, standing up instantly, eyes full of anger.

"Rebel! I just came to apologize. I really have no idea what I-" he was cut-off by Rebel moving into his face.

"You coulda killed me. More importantly, her ." He growled, pointing at AJ. "What, you expect me to forgive you and all this just fades away like some stupid kids' cartoon? That's not how this world works."

Storm's eyes lit up in surprise at him saying that. "Look. I'm sorry that I've made a bad call. I-"

"A bad call. That's what you call it. Sure, getting shot at by _everything_ is a bad judgement call. Just a bad call. That's all."

"R-Rebel, please..." Applejack said, her tone becoming one of concern. She reached her hand out to Rebel's shoulders, only to have it swatted away.

"Just… leave me alone," he said, grabbing his armor and his Stim pen. He gave Storm one final glare before he left the room, his hand holding onto his stomach.

Applejack sighed. "I'll get him. Storm, I think ya got ta him somehow."

Storm sat down on the bed, his hand supporting his head. He knew what he did was wrong, but it was Rebel's reaction that caught him off guard. Rebel was rarely angry, annoyed at the most.

"Struck some nerves, didn't you?" A woman's voice caught him off-guard. He looked up to see Gates, leaning against the doorframe, crossing her arms. Seeing his look of surprise, she smiled and continued. "I heard about what happened, and now I'm pretty sure that I know why he's so upset."

Storm perked up upon hearing this. "Wait, you do? Why?"

"I think, he might... care for her. In a deeply, emotional sense." Gates replied, smirking as she waited for Storm to work it out.

"What are you talking abou…" he trailed off, suddenly perking up again. "Oh. Oh dear."

"Yeah, that's what I think is happening." Gates said, sighing into the air.

"That's not just it. He's a bit, uh, overprotective of certain aspects of his life, love being one of them. If I had killed her, or even remotely harmed her in any way, Rebel would have my life. It's happened once already, but he was different back then. More light hearted than he is now. He could put up with my pranks." Storm chuckled.

"My stupid, stupid pranks." he looked up at Gates, tears beginning to form in his eyes. "There was one time, when we were fifteen, where I managed to hide about thirty chickens in his closet. When he opened it up, the chickens were quite mad and almost mauled him to bits. I stepped in to fix things and I got knocked over by the chickens. They started to rampage through town, hurting almost everyone, and I was almost executed, but Rebel managed to convince the town to keep me there, and I had to clean up the entire town, all by myself. With a dustpan and hand-held brush. It took me eight months. Man, you wouldn't believe how pissed the town was. Shortly after, the IMC arrived, proclaiming that they were going to claim the land our town was built on, relocate all of us, and use it as a new training barracks for their Pilots. Me, Rebel and Volt stood up to them, and when they raised their weapons, ready to annihilate the three of us, Briggs' titan dropped in, along with a bunch of Militia, saving us and the town. She said that we could come with them, seeing as we were the 'Warriors of the Town'. The whole town cheered for us upon hearing that, and we knew we'd have to go. The IMC would be after us in a heartbeat. So we left. We lived on the base for two years before I enlisted on the Pilot Training Program."

Tears were already streaming from his face. He sobbed for a little while, then wiped them away, apologizing to Gates for being so pitiful. "I owe my life to Rebel. If he didn't step in that day, I'd be dead, my head hanging in a room, somewhere in that town. And how do I repay him? Almost killing him and Applejack. I'm a terrible person."

"That all happened?" AJ's voice came from the hallway.

"I remember that prank." Rebel's voice was also heard, and he sounded like he was on the verge of laughing.

"Brilliant story, Storm." Ryan said.

"Can't believe that it's true!" Felix exclaimed.

"I wonder what happened to my old lab?" Volt pitched in.

"What are all of you doing just standing there like creeps?" Storm asked, trying and failing to suppress a smile.

"I'm just eating chicken," Briggs said, shrugging.

"How coincidental," AJ stated, almost laughing.

"Still, Rebs, you good?" Volt asked.

"Eh… I can't forgive Storm for what he did, but, I'll let it slide… for now." Rebel said, his eyes momentarily flicking towards Applejack's direction, but focused on Storm immediately after.

"Oh, and AJ, I got word in with Tesla," Rebel said, smiling under his helmet.

"Who?"

"He makes the data cores. He says it'll be ready in a matter of minutes, though he does have a couple questions regarding your titan."

"What'd that be?"

"I can't explain it, so come on. I'll take you to the lab. We brought your titan from repairs and Tesla's fixing it here, but he'd still like your answers for something."

Rebel turned to face the group. "As for the rest of us..."

Everyone paused to hear what the pilot had to say.

"What about that Titan obstacle course? We gotta do it soon."

Storm immediately perked up, and practically leapt off the bed. "I'm on it!" he yelled.

Before he reached the door, however, Rebel stopped him. "Remember this, Storm. Even though I let it slide, I've got my eye on you. But if something's wrong, let me know, alright? We're friends for a reason."

Storm watched as he escorted AJ to Tesla's lab.

"Alright," he whispered to himself.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello everyone. Here's another chapter for y'all. This one ended up around 5,250 words and I'm quite happy on how it turned out. So here's another big chapter for you. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 10

"Learn by Experience"

"So, Miss Applejack, I guess we'll just jump right in." Tesla started after Rebel and AJ sat down in front of him.

"Please, if it ain't too much trouble, call me AJ." AJ replied, smiling.

"Of course. Miss AJ, the first thing I want to ask you, is have you considered upgrading your Titan?" Tesla asked, pulling out a notepad and pen from his desk drawer.

"Uh, upgradin'? Whaddya mean by upgradin'?" AJ asked, looking perplexed.

"I mean changing your Atlas-Class Titan to a newer model, such as a Tone or Northstar." Tesla explained briefly.

"Uh, honestly, I'd rather not. I like ma' Titan the way she was made." AJ said, crossing her arms and legs.

"Um, okay. We'll return to that subject at a later date. Second question is from Lieutenant Ryan Jackson and Commander Sarah Briggs. How much military-style Titan Training have you had in the last six months? Stupid question, I know, but I am required to ask."

"Well, seein' as I am a damn apple farmer, I ain't got no need for military trainin'." AJ replied, tipping her hat back a bit more.

"Alright. Last question, by SRS Pilot Rainbow Storm. If not trained beforehand, would you be interested in extensive training with SRS Pilot Rainbow Storm and Lieutenant Ryan Jackson? Personally, I feel it would benefit you greatly." Tesla said, drinking a bit of his coffee.

"What exactly do ya mean by 'extensive training'? What's the difference between that and normal training?" AJ asked, looking thoroughly confused.

"I can answer that, Tesla." Rebel spoke up before Tesla could say a word. "What he means by Extensive Training, is the kind of Training that I do with Storm and Ryan, like he said. If you refuse to do said Training, you will most likely be placed in the standard training of pilots that Storm, Ryan and Felix all went through."

"Hmm, hold on a second." AJ said, lifting her hand up to her chin. "What kind of training did you go through, Rebel?"

"Oh, me? I had some rather, uh, speedy training with my Father and Storm. I was rather handpicked by Commander Briggs to train with them." Rebel said, stroking back his hair.

"Hmm, I'll go with the Extensive Training. Sounds better than whatever the higher-ups went through."

Tesla leaned back in his chair, taking another sip of his coffee. "Good choice. I believe it would be more beneficial for you. Now, onto the Data Core."

"Yeah, heard 'bout it. So what's new?"

"Well, good news is, since it is an older chassis, it was relatively simple to convert to a more modern data core as well as A.I. I wouldn't necessarily consider this bad news but… I may need to pull out all of the electronics and the power source so it is compatible with the Titan batteries we have in stock."

"How much is it gonna change?" Applejack asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Do not worry, the chassis will remain the same, for your convenience. I will just need to take out the… inner workings and replace them with more modern technology, so we can repair it easily."

Applejack scratched her chin. "I'm not sure… we have ta remove everythin'?"

"On that thought, probably not. I think I can switch out the main power source so it will run on titan batteries, and that would be it. Should take no more than a couple minutes."

"Alright. If I don't like the feel can we switch it back?"

"Of course," Tesla said, taking another sip of coffee.

* * *

Storm was on his way back to the storage room to grab the finishing materials he needed for the obstacle course when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Gah! Huh!? Who are you?" he said to the stranger that had gotten his attention.

"Sorry to bother you, sir. I just wanted to thank the man that had spared my life on that day the damned IMC decided to attack." the man replied.

"Wait, that was you? You're actually on the base! Sorry, I actually forgot about you. I meant to try to find you when everything got settled in, but I got swept up in other matters." Storm said, shaking his hand. "How has the militia been treating you?"

"Great. Much better than the IMC. My name is Sean Williams. I was forcibly enlisted in the IMC Training program about three months before the attack on the old militia base." Sean explained, returning the handshake.

"Well, nice to meet ya, Sean. You already know me, SRS Pilot Rainbow Storm, at your service." He said, smiling. "You can just call me Storm. Most people do. Want to come back to my room for a drink?" He said, standing up straight. "I don't have to start training for another hour, and I just snuck in a new case of Cider with Felix. Don't tell anyone," he said, smiling.

"Sure, why not. I've always told myself that if ever my higher-ups invite me to something socially, I should always go. It usually mean good things," Sean replied.

"What a great mentality. Let's go!" Storm said, motioning for him to follow. When they arrived to the barracks building, Storm led Sean to the door to his room, and motioned him in. "The Cider is in the fridge under the bed. Go ahead and grab some. I'm gonna see if we can get a third today." He walked over to the door next to his, and knocked on it. When the huge apple farmer finally opened the door, Storm told him about the CIder, to which he quickly agreed. Alcohol was sparse on the base, usually used for special occasions. With the higher-ups, even Briggs herself have bought a variety of drinks from Storm and Felix, allowing for quite the parties in the Officer's Barracks. When the two walked into Storm's room, Storm heard Sean say he was in the restroom, and would be out soon. He looked over to the table, where the case of Cider lay unopened still.

"So what's your name, anyways?" Storm asked, sitting down and opening a bottle.

"My name is actually Marcus, but most people call me Macintosh, l know, just like an apple. I prefer Marcus or Mack, honestly though." the farmer replied.

"What's with your family not having last names?" Storm asked, and he swore he could of heard someone gasp at that exact moment.

"I don't know, but if you can tell, I'm a bit more well-spoken than my sister. She like to carry on the, 'earthen tradition' as she calls it."

"Whoa, you two are from Earth?" Storm asked, sitting upright. "I've always wondered what it's like there."

"Well, once the IMC decided to take it over, it's looked much more city-like than it used to. Most of our family still lives on our old farm." he said, grabbing a bottle of Cider.

"You know, you don't just sound like you're more well-spoken, but you sound a bit more military-style. Why is that?" Storm asked, leaning back in his chair.

"It's because he's originally IMC!" Sean exclaimed, now out of the restroom and pointing at Macintosh. "Commander Marcus. He apparently disappeared from the face of the universe after he resigned from the IMC. Who knew you'd end up back as an apple farmer. With your military experience, I'm sure you could take down this whole base without your Tita-" He was cut-off by Storm waving his hand dismissively.

"Sean. You need not worry about him. I believe he won't do anything against the militia, right?" he asked, looking at Marcus.

"Of course not. I'm done with that life and honestly, I really don't miss these metal walls. I'd like to get back to the farm as quickly as I can."

Sean just shrugged and sat down in the third chair, sipping his Cider as Storm and Mack continued their conversation. "I'll believe it for now." Sean whispered to himself as he watched the two exchange jokes. "The IMC doesn't just resign and leave forever. You're always called back eventually." He whispered once again, downing half of his Cider.

Suddenly, there was a very odd knock at the door, to which Storm got up and slowly walked to the door, motioning for the other two to hide their drinks. He opened the door to see a young man, looking to be about sixteen or seventeen. "Um, hello there." Storm said, silently motioning for Sean to get up and hide the case. "What are you doing here?" Storm questioned.

"Um, sorry to bother you, sir. I just wanted to know if I could possibly see your Titan. I've heard lots about it and was hoping that you'd be able to let me see it." The boy said shyly.

"Hmm, guys!" Storm called to the other two in the room. "I'll be back in a bit. I'm gonna go encourage someone to become a Pilot. Let's go, uh, what's your name?" Storm asked as he walked the boy outside.

"My name is Jordan Smith. I couldn't approach neither Ryan nor Felix, so I came to you. You three are the most famous within my group." Jordan answered.

"Maybe you should introduce me to your friends. The Militia is always looking for young men and women to join the Pilot Training program. We never forcibly enlist anybody like the IMC. We usually go by a volunteer basis and Officer referrals. Are you interested in becoming a Pilot, Jordan?" Storm asked as they approached Volt's warehouse, where R41N-80W and Ronin were stored.

"Uh, kinda. I never really thought about it. I don't really want to have to go through paperwork and such."

Storm thought about it for a moment, and then, remembering something from several years prior, he had an idea. "Tell you what. See if you can try to get some of your friends to be interested in being Pilots, and I'll give you some behind-the-door training through some old simulations. Hell, I'd even come talk to them if you wanted me to." Storm said, smiling. He turned to Jordan. "Now I need to warn you about something. My Titan and Rebel's have a rather upgraded AI. They might seem a little bit like us humans, with some feelings and such."

"Okay, thanks." Jordan replied as they walked into the warehouse where Rainbow and Ronin seemed to be talking.

"I am telling you, Rainbow. My sword is fully functional. There is no reason for an upgrade." Ronin seemed to be saying.

"But are you sure you do not want to have some type of laser sword? You would be able to vapourize enemy Pilots and easily cut off enemy Titan's limbs." Rainbow tried.

"No, I am rather content with the blade I am equipped with."

"This is not what I expected, although, that would be pretty cool, honestly." Storm said, looking up in awe at the two Titans.

R41N-80W looked at Storm and slowly moved his fingers into thumbs up, causing Jordan to gasp in amazement.

"SRS Pilot Rainbow Storm." Ronin addressed him. "You have brought a guest. What is your name, young human?"

Jordan looked at a loss for words for a moment, then quickly recovered, standing up straight. "My name is Jordan Smith, pleasure to meet you." He firmly stated.

"Jordan Smith has now been registered in my Data Banks." Ronin replied, to which Storm burst into laughter.

"Jordan." R41N-80W addressed him. "Ronin is actually joking. He wanted to see if you had good potential to become a Pilot." he gave the thumbs up once again, causing Storm to break into an even harder fit of laughter. "You passed."

"God, guys!" Storm exclaimed between laughs. "You're both going to give me like, a deflated lung or something!"

"Pilot." Rainbow addressed Storm. "Two of my three batteries are extinguished. I request a refill on that before Extensive Training."

"Alrighty, 'Bow-man.' I'll get on that." Storm replied, motioning for Rainbow to kneel down, allowing Storm to reach his battery ports. He grabbed the two dead batteries and walked over to the charging station, where three batteries always were. He finished replacing R41N-80W'S batteries when Jordan spoke up.

"What's Extensive Training?" He asked.

"Oh, Extensive Training, is about to start!" Storm exclaimed, quickly slamming on his Helmet. "Okay, Jordan. What I'm about to ask you is probably illegal and is extremely dangerous to those without Training. Get on my back." Storm said quickly, motioning for Rainbow to come over.

"Wait, what?" Jordan asked, perplexed.

"You heard me. Get on my back." Storm replied, crouching down. When Jordan finally clambered on his back, he used the jump jets on his suit to hop on top of R41N-80W. "Okay, you need to grab hold onto these handles here, and lock your feet into these slots." Storm instructed, pointing at each part as he explained it. Once Jordan was locked in, he put an earpiece in Jordan's ear. "This is so we can communicate easily. Hold on tight. This is gonna be a bumpy ride." Storm said, jumping into R41N-80W's cockpit. "Ronin, you should come with us. We're going to the same place after all."

"Understood, SRS Pilot Rainbow Storm." Ronin replied, moving from the back of the warehouse to next to Rainbow.

"Alright. Let's go." Storm said as the two Titan's moved towards Storm and Ryan's Training area, with a surprising lack of screaming from Jordan. "You alright up there?" Storm asked him. "You're kinda quiet."

"Yeah, I'm fine." Jordan replied. "Heights never really bothered me."

"Huh. I was terrified my first time that I rodeoed a Titan." Storm replied as they approached the Training area, where the Obstacle Course was set up. "Ryan!" Storm called, getting the Lieutenant's attention. "Could you get this kid safely down, please?"

"I got you, Storm. Why is he here?" Ryan questioned, quickly grabbing Jordan and bringing him down to safety as Storm jumped out of the cockpit.

"I was showing him Ronin and R41N-80W." Storm looked at the Prime Ion Titan standing behind Ryan. "Hey, that's your Titan? You got a Prime! That's pretty cool."

"Not as cool as your damn Vanguard." Ryan mumbled to Storm, who smiled egotistically.

"Can we jus' get this Trainin' started?" AJ asked, startling Storm.

"Gah!" Storm exclaimed, turning around to face the Trainees. "AJ, I wasn't informed about you being here." Storm said, smiling.

"I was. I wasn't informed of this guy here either, Storm." Ryan retorted, pointing at Jordan. "What is your name, by the way?" Ryan asked.

"Wait, is that?" AJ exclaimed, walking over to Ryan and Jordan. "It is! Jordan Smith! Where did you end up goin'?"

"Applejack!? You're here too?" Jordan exclaimed. "Sorry I left so abruptly. My father took me and my mom to this base once he found out they arrived." Jordan said, giving AJ a hug.

"Sorry, this may take some splainin'. AJ said to the others. "Jordan's father used to bring him around to the farm to help around every week. They were like a part of the family to us." she turned back to Jordan. "Y'all were always so helpful."

"Whoa, hey. Wait." Storm exclaimed suddenly, staring at AJ's Atlas. "That's an Atlas titan, right? Tell me I'm not going crazy. That _is_ an Atlas, right?"

"Yep. Rebuilt her myself." AJ boasted, walking over to her Titan and patting its leg.

"Wow! That's amazing!" Storm ran up to it, and it seemed to shy away from his close proximity. "Whoa, hold up. How much personality does it have?" Storm asked, looking confused.

"We got Tesla to make one for it." Rebel replied, walking over to him.

"Oh! Sorry. I am SRS Pilot Rainbow Storm." Storm said to the Atlas, who upon hearing that name, stood up straight a bit more. "Uh, can it speak?" Storm asked.

"Yes." The Titan quickly said.

"Uh, okay then. A shy Titan. That's new." Storm mumbled as he walked back over to Ryan and Jordan. "Jordan, why don't you sit on that bench behind us, so you can watch, as long as it's alright with Ryan."

Ryan thought about it for a moment. "Eh, sure. Why not?" Jordan excitedly ran over to the bench and sat down.

"Alright, so. Shade, Rebel and AJ. How about we have you test your jump jets for a bit?" Storm instructed, looking over at Ryan, who smiled. "I think I'll join you." Storm said, suddenly sprinting towards Rebel and leaping over him, onto the top of the gate leading into the Titan Obstacle Course. "Beyond this gate is an area that mocks a Titan battleground. There are multiple buildings you can move into as a Pilot, as well as plenty of space for a Titan battle. I find the best way to train is through experience, so, what we're going to do is a 3v3 Training Capture the Flag. We will use training rounds and if you are hit five times in quick succession as a Pilot, you must move back to your base and Restart. Your Titan will be able to sustain 100 shots before you must exit the Titan and your Titan will be out of that round. As a quick warning, all the shots that hit you will, and I repeat, WILL hurt. Your body might go into shock from it thinking that it's about to die. If this happens, press the button on the right arm of your suit and it will call a timeout on the round, and we have a team of medics on the scene ready to treat you. The teams will be Instructors versus Trainees. Myself, Ryan and Felix against you three, AJ, Rebel and Shade. You three are on the far side. Obviously, to win, you must capture the other team's flag. Go to your spawn. The match will start in five minutes."

"Hey, Shade, you got nerves shook or something?" Rebel watched the pilot as the trio walked down the hall towards their side of the area.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm good, just… this fight seems kinda one sided, don't you think?"

"Hey, in wars, y'all are sometimes under a disadvantage, right? So this has gotta be a more realistic approach," AJ said, elbowing Shade.

"Okay, she's got you there, Shadester."

"Hey, guys, you ready yet?" Storm announced through their helmets.

Rebel loaded his Alternator, AJ grabbed a Hemlok from the rack, while Shade used the usual R-201.

"Alright, I think we're good," Rebel said, taking aim in front of him.

"Well, then let the games begin!" Felix yelled, firing a grapple hook in their direction, latching onto the trainees' flag. "Ready or not, here I come!"

Applejack was first to react to the situation, standing in front of the flag as Felix came whizzing towards her. She simply lifted her leg, and stuck it out, connecting with Felix's face.

"AAAAGGGHH! What do you all have against my face?!" he shrieked, holding his head as he moved back to the starting area.

Rebel simply chuckled, as he sprinted out their base, and leapt up to a wall, running up the side of it, and slid a couple feet, firing his Alternator as he saw movement.

"H-hey! I'm not on the enemy team!" Applejack said, sprinting alongside the A-wall outfitted pilot.

"Whoop, sorry." Rebel then was knocked off balance and shot several times by an R-201.

"Aw, man."

"Ha! Gotcha!" Storm yelled from a rooftop. He swooped in from the same roof into the trainees' base, snatched the flag, and launched out of the base in three seconds. "Catch me if you can, suckers!"

Storm failed to realize the white flash in front of him. "Surprise!" was the last thing he heard before Shade knocked him out of the air.

"Nice one, Shades!" AJ called out, as she ran into the opponent's base. She came sprinting back out, flag on her back. She tossed a sonar kunai behind her, and its pulse resonated to her team. Rebel immediately ran to her side, providing some covering fire.

"AJ! Take the high route!"

"Gotcha!" Applejack quickly ran up a wall, and launched herself a good couple feet in the air before sliding down a roof. She launched herself back up into the air, only to have Storm latch onto her with a grapple hook.

"Get back down here!" Storm yelled, as he pulled AJ down with the grapple line.

"Not so fast, Pal!" Rebel yelled as he drop-kicked Storm ten feet away, disengaging the grapple from AJ.

"Hey guys, I need some backup over here!" Shade called and the two other Pilots quickly moved to his side. Everything was quiet as the three Pilots stood together, their focus unwavering. "What are your guys' Titanfall numbers at?" Shade asked.

"I'm at fifty-six percent." AJ replied.

"I'm at seventy-eight." Rebel added in.

"Alright. Now we just need to-" Shade was cut-off by three thunderous booms in quick succession, the three Pilots knowing exactly what it was.

"They've already got their Titans…" Rebel said, raising his Alternator.

"An' we're no closer to it than we were before!" AJ whispered.

The three of them huddled into a building as they saw the three Titan's feet walk past, with the larger of the three stopping right next to their building. Suddenly, the roof of their building was torn off and cast away, revealing the three Pilots to the three Titans staring right back down at them.

"Why, hello there!" R41N-80W said, raising his charge rifle. "We've been looking everywhere for you guys. Looks like you were here all alo-" He was cut-off by Ronin charging into him, knocking the much larger Vanguard-Class into the much smaller Prime Ion and Legion Titans.

"Good save, Ronin!" Rebel yelled as he jumped into Ronin's cockpit.

"Get in pilot, we are evening the odds."

R41N-80W's cockpit opened and Storm jumped out of it, instantly grappling onto Ronin. "Rainbow, help Ryan and Felix and I'll get you a shiny new battery!" he said as he flew at breakneck speed towards the unsuspecting Ronin. "Good thing I'm mostly silent whilst doing this." Storm whispered to himself as he carefully ripped the battery out of Ronin's battery slot.

"Battery lost, Pilot." Ronin stated to Rebel within the cockpit.

"Wait, what!?" Rebel yelled as he jumped out of the cockpit, giving chase after Storm. After using his Stim, he caught up to him with ease, grabbing the battery off of his belt. "I'll take that!" he said to Storm as he ran away.

"Oh no you don't," Storm said, turning and grappling Rebel before he could turn a corner. Rebel quickly spun around and used his forward momentum to raise his fist as he flew towards Storm. Storm caught his fist and the two locked eyes for a moment, both breathing heavily. "You're not getting away that easily." Storm said as he kicked Rebel in the chest, knocking him back and fired a couple of shots into Rebel before realizing he had to reload. In that moment, Ronin came out of phase shifting for a moment and picked up Rebel before disappearing once again.

"Thanks for the save, Ronin." Rebel said as he lay in Ronin's hands, regaining his strength.

"Ha! At least I've still got this batter-" Storm paused and looked down to see a grenade roll to his feet. "Oh, come on!" He yelled as the grenade exploded, sending Storm a good twenty feet into a metal wall.

"Pilot, are you alright?" R41N-80W asked him, peering around the corner.

"Yeah, yeah. I've still got health left. Just pick me up and we'll get your shields up." Storm replied, picking himself up. "Yeah, I see you snickering up there, Shade!" He yelled as he quickly chucked an arc grenade into Shade's building whilst he got into R41N-80W.

"Shields regenerated." R41N-80W firmly stated.

"Alright, let's switch to a Legion loadout, Rainbow." Storm instructed.

"Understood Pilot. Activating long range mode." R41N-80W replied.

"Not really my style, but a minigun's a minigun." Storm laughed.

"He can switch his weapons!?" AJ cried out.

"It's a Vanguard-Class ! It's one of the special things about it!" Shade replied.

Both Shade and AJ called down their Titans, with the shock wave from the event knocking down both Ronin and R41N-80W. As the two Pilots quickly moved into their respective Titans, the three Titans on both sides lined up against another, each locking into a Titan fistfight. It was R41N-80W against Ronin, Ryan's Prime Ion against Jewels, and Felix's Legion against AJ's Atlas. The six Pilots each jumped out of their Titans in unison, looked at each other for a moment before diving into their own fights.

"You're a much better fighter now, Rebel," Storm stated, as each threw and caught their own punches. "You're anticipating moves much faster."

"What can I say? I learned from my father." Rebel replied, connecting his fist to Storm's sternum.

"And me. Don't forget about me." Storm replied, using his grapple to spin Rebel around and kick him on his spine, to which Rebel quickly activated his Stim and overpowered Storm.

"You know, Shade. This battle seems really one sided." Ryan said to Shade while he had him pinned down, arm across his back.

"Yeah, you think? There's no way I could beat you. You're a Lieutenant." Shade replied.

"It really is unfair. Maybe we shou-" he was cut-off by Jewels kicking him over Felix and AJ, into a metal structure.

"Thanks for the save, Jewels." Shade told his Titan before it went back to it's own fight.

"How your face, Felix?" AJ asked, laughing.

"How can you still talk so calmly whilst fighting?" Felix asked between punches.

"Simple. You jus' talk." AJ replied, punching him in the jaw.

"Gah! Why must you do this?" Felix asked, rubbing his jaw.

They all heard a whistle, and everyone froze, quickly looking around to see where the noise had come from. Standing on top of the building overlooking the battleground, was Commander Briggs as well as Jordan, each one holding one of the team's flags.

"Did you forget this was Capture the Flag? No matter, we win now. Pilots, freshen up a bit. We've got a mission for you." Briggs said, dropping the flag down in front of Storm and lowering Jordan to the ground safely, who ran off back towards the base.

"Okay, our first mission..." Shade muttered, while casually walking up to Jewels.

"Not exactly what I meant by 'learning from experience,' but this works." Storm commented.

"Everybody, come around," Ryan called. "Me and Felix here, we've been doing this for almost nine years now. I wanted to tell you, that as much fun as this training may have been for you, it's time to sober up, because this is the real thing. We must go within our own squadrons. We'll be dropping in two different dropships." A Grunt walked over to Ryan and handed him a report.

"Alright, here it is. Militia scouts have picked up traces of IMC forces somewhere due far south of our location. Judging from the report, it looks like a small outpost, and nothing more. It looks like it's locked down fairly well, but nothing that a group of pilots and Titans can't handle. They'll be sending us in with some squads of grunts, as well as anything else if the fight falls out of our favor. Our mission is simple: clear out the area, secure it, and make sure the IMC don't get any idea that there's a militia base here. Got it?"

The pilots nodded.

"We'll be split into two dropships, each one led by a squad leader. I will take Felix and Shade. Storm, I'm putting you in charge of Rebel and AJ. Remember, no one here is gonna be a hero. Is that-" He was cut-off by Marcus walking over to them and waving his hand.

"Hold up. Wait. Did I just hear my little sister's name in that mumbo jumbo?" He asked, looking somewhat annoyed.

"Yeah, what of it, Mack?" AJ asked, suddenly looking annoyed as well. "You gonna shoot me when I drop?"

"Whoa, whoa, AJ. You alright?" Rebel asked, gently laying his hand on her shoulder.

AJ just shrugged him off and moved closer to Marcus. "No, I am not alright. Tell me, _Macintosh_ , what are ya plannin'? Tryin' ta take down this whole base? Did one of your goons come back for ya? Like they always used to? What abou-"

"ENOUGH!" Marcus yelled out, causing a dreadful silence across the whole base. "I told ya I'm done with that life, Applejack." Marcus whispered, anger obviously spewing from his face. "I dropped that name years ago. I am not the Great Commander Macintosh anymore! I enlisted on that force because I originally thought it was the right thing to do! I never-"

"You're the Lost Commander?" Felix asked bluntly.

Marcus completely ignored him. "I never thought you'd ever get involved AJ. I broke from the IMC to protect you. To protect the whole damn family. You know Bloom wouldn't even be 'ere if it weren't for me." he added darkly.

"Don't you dare bring Apple Bloom into this. She's completely innocent." AJ defended.

"If you want her to stay that way, I suggest you rethink this whole, 'Piloting' thing." Marcus warned, then turned and stomped away, pausing to hear Rebel talk to his sister.

Rebel sighed as he put his hand on AJ's shoulder once again. "Listen, if it's for the best-"

"Then I'm fightin.'"

"Wait, what? What about your brother there?"

"Don't mind him, he's just got some frayed nerves. I wanna help protect this planet, this IMC seem ta be jerks if they are doin' all these things to other planets."

"Alright AJ, but I promise your brother is still gonna see you back in one piece."

"You'd better, or else you won't be," Marcus growled, driving his fist into Rebel's chest armour.

Rebel stood as Marcus walked away, Felix freaking out.

"He's the Lost Commander! On our Base! W-w-w-w-what do we-" He was cut-off by Ryan punching him in the face this time. Hard.

"Shut the hell up Waterschilick! Get a hold of yourself! Nothing going to happen you damned piece of-" He cut himself off, looking at the shocked faces of the Pilots around him.

"A-and that's w-why we don't anger Ryan…" Felix whimpered, with a surprising lack of screaming, probably to not piss Ryan off more.

Ryan stuck his hand out to Felix. "Get up." He commanded simply. Felix quickly took his hand as Ryan hauled him back up to his feet. "Go to the Medbay." When Felix had moved from the group, they all heard him yell out in pain. Ryan turned back to the group, still seething with anger. "The rest of you. Go… elsewhere." He said, with a wave of his hand. "I don't care. Briggs is here anyways." He stomped off with even Briggs moving out of his way in fear.

"I'm sorry you all had to see that. Ryan is hard to anger but he's got quite the temper when you actually get to him." Briggs said, shaking her head.

"Kinda like Rebel," Storm muttered, glancing at the pilot.

"Let's just get ready for the mission," Rebel said, heading towards the Titan Docking Facility.

"I-I'll come with ya," Applejack piped up, following suit.

Storm walked over Shade who was looking after the two.

"Hey, you alright?" Storm asked, putting a hand on Shade's shoulder.

Shade looked at Storm in surprise. "Huh? Oh, yeah. I-I'm fine." He replied, obviously holding back tears.

"Hey, let me know if anything's bothering you, alright? Just come to my room if you need to talk about something." Shade just nodded. "Good. Now, go rest up." Storm said, walking back towards where Rebel and AJ had gone.


End file.
